Instructing a Rebel
by EverShadow
Summary: Quifer. Quistis hates Seifer, he returns wanting to help the Garden. Quistis doesn't believe him. They don't get off to a good start, Seifer might have other intentions than helping. What's he really after? Quifer
1. Default Chapter

EverShadow: Well, since everyone else is seemingly getting into the Quifer/Seftis thingamaburr, I might as well go along with everyone else for the moment. You never see too many Seifer/Rinoa…whaddaya call those?

Tiger of Blackness: You rarely see a Squifer.

EverShadow: What?

Tiger of Blackness: Squall/Quistis/Seifer.

EverShadow: Oh…well, I'm at least proud of making a Seifer and Rinoa fic!! I stand out amongst you cliché people!

Tiger of Blackness: Shut up, you're writing a Quifer now aren't you?

EverShadow: Yeah…just experimental though. On with the show.

Instructing a Rebel

            Selphie was piloting the Ragnarok like crazy again…she had been swerving around the garden, scaring some of the people but it wasn't her fault that she was a bit of a speed demon. Irvine, as usual, was at her side, cheering her on. This shouldn't have happened if the children of the Balamb Garden didn't ask for a ride on the Ragnarok. It had been a year since everyone had gathered together again and celebrated the end of the war. They were still training SeeDs and all that but lately, the Garden had become a quiet place. Norg had emerged from his shell as a giant Moomba but his visions had changed and he taught the other Moombas the way of peace. 

            Squall and Rinoa had taken a vacation to the orphanage where they had promised to meet. Squall was the new headmaster (as if none of us had already guessed it…) and I was sure that Rinoa would be his wife sooner or later. There had been a large change in Squall, he smiled and laughed a lot more. He was more social than usual but if Rinoa weren't there, he would go into his protective shell again. It was very rare that Rinoa wasn't by his side so we saw the brighter side of Squall.

            Zell…he's training to become an instructor (surprise!) and calmed down a little. I personally think that he did it to sneak into the cafeteria to get hotdogs. He's happily dating the girl from the library…I still don't know how she can stand him sometimes. Dear Hyne…he's as cocky as ever! He's the same old Zell, just not as ready to charge into battle. 

            Selphie and Irvine…well…need I say any more? Selphie and Irvine are usually found at the Trabia Garden helping out whenever they can. Trabia Garden is rebuilt and looking as beautiful as ever. Plus, it's flying as well! We all had a hunch that all the Gardens could fly and Nida helped the people at the Trabia Garden pilot the thing. The surprising thing is, Irvine has stopped chasing girls (we all have Selphie to thank for that.) He's more interested in Selphie at this current time but she can't stop bouncing around long enough for him to tell her his feelings! I'd give him a month or so before he actually pins her down with his gun and tells her. Hyne, that'll be an interesting sight to see. 

            Me? Well, I could say same old Quistis but I'd be lying. Ever since we've gotten back from the future, the others have been basking in each other's company. Everyone's got some kind of person they can share their life with besides me. I don't mind it. People are often a bit shy to approach me. They think I'm going to bark at them or lecture them on something. I quit being an instructor a year ago but people still keep treating me like I'm still an instructor. They never see me for who I am. I've tried countless times to relax like Rinoa or Selphie but I guess I can't help but be mature, calm and collected like I'm ten years older than I'm supposed to be. I wish I could just let go of my collectiveness but it's hard to do so. Ever since I came back, there have been more Trepies than ever. Some days I just want to throw them out of the Garden but there are too many of them for me to keep count. Why don't they go worship someone else like Squall? I don't know. 

            "Instructor Trepe?" I sighed and turned around to face one of the Trepies.

            "I'm not an instructor anymore." I said. 

            "Yeah but I was wondering…could you help me with my SeeD exam?" The girl looked nervous at the thought of it. The SeeD exam wasn't too far away. 

            "What kind of help?" I felt myself soften up when I saw how nervous she was. She was shaking terribly. 

            "I…" 

            "_Will Quistis Trepe please report to the headmaster's office? I repeat, Quistis Trepe, report to the headmaster._" I gave the girl an apologetic look and walked out of the cafeteria. I wondered what was going on. Since Squall was out on vacation, Nida had filled in for him.

            I entered the officed and found Nida waiting for me. His expression was unreadable and I approached him.      

            "Is there something you need?" I asked. 

            "Yes, it appears we have a guest. He wants to help out here at the Balamb Garden but I requested that he had supervision for a while. Since it seems that you're the only one capable of handling him, I suggested you." _Hyne, no. Please, no…_

            "Long time no see, Instructor." The familiar voice punched a hole in my brain. I closed my eyes but I didn't move.

            "So, you're back, Almasy." I replied. 

            "In the flesh. I want to make up for my crimes. Assaulting the Balamb Garden, attacking innocent SeeD. Now I want to help out." 

            "Is that your decision or an order from higher positions." I asked coldly.

            "More of a request from Ex-Headmaster Cid and new Headmaster Squall. I agreed because it obviously gave me a chance to reunite with my favorite ex-instructor." Everything about him flashed in my mind in a second. 

            "I don't need your smart talk, Almasy. You've got one chance to prove yourself good before I strangle you with my whip. Is that understood?" I finally turned to face him. He looked the same but the smile wasn't as mocking as it originally was. It seemed almost genuine but I didn't give in to that trickery. 

            "Touchy as always Instructor." He said. 

            "I'm not an Instructor anymore." I snapped. Nida cleared his throat. 

            "Perhaps you would like to continue this conversation some where else?" He asked. Seifer glared at him.

            "Get the hell outta this conversation! No one needed your opinion temporary Headmaster!" He yelled. I grabbed Seifer by the shoulder and hauled him out of the room. As soon as the door closed, I shoved him into a wall.

            "What are you trying to pull here Almasy?! What do you want to do with the Balamb Garden? I don't know what goes on in that mind of yours but if it has anything to do with Squall…" 

            "Still not over him yet Instructor?" I pulled my face back and blinked a few times.

            "That's not it! Y-You're completely wrong. I'm just saying that if you try to kill him, then everyone will hunt you down!" It was probably a funny sight. I, Quistis Trepe, was blushing too deeply for him not to notice.

            "I think I'm correct." He pushed his face into mine and I could feel an even deeper blush creeping up. I was tempted to return the kiss but I hated him. 

            "Q-QUISTIS??!!!" A voice yelled. I jerked around, releasing Seifer's coat and saw a bewildered Squall and Rinoa. 

            "Welcome back." Seifer said.

            "Seifer? Quistis?! What is going on?" I wanted to yell that Seifer had forced me into it but my collectiveness kicked in.

            "Nothing. I just caught my foot on the carpet and that just happened. No emotions involved." I felt stupid saying that but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seifer grin. Squall and Rinoa relaxed a little and walked into the headmaster's room.

            "You fooled them, Instructor." He said.

            "If you ever do that again, I'm going to strangle you and hang your carcass over the side of the Garden to dry!" I threatened. "This is the start of a bad relationship, Seifer." He kissed me again on the cheek and walked off. 

            "Of course it is…" He laughed. When I got to my room, I tore the covers off of my bed, flung it around the room and screamed in rage. 

Tiger of Blackness: Hissy Quisty.

EverShadow: She's in a bad mood. She hates Seifer.

Tiger of Blackness: One can tell…

EverShadow: Well, Seifer's not exactly the nicest person…

Tiger of Blackness: That's why we all love him.

EverShadow: Yep! EverShadow signing off.


	2. The Start of What!

Tiger of Blackness: Can I do the intro?

EverShadow: Um…sure? 

Tiger of Blackness: Alright! The next chapter of this is all about…PEOPLE GETTING KILLED AND DYING A PAINFUL DEATH AND THE ATTACK OF THE MUTANT HOTDOGS FROM THE CAFETERIA! WHO CAN SAVE THEM? ZELL!!! RUN FOR YOU LIVES PEOPLE!!

EverShadow: TIGER!!! That's not the intro.

Tiger of Blackness: So?

EverShadow: The intro is supposed to be a disclaimer followed by a short statement.

Tiger of Blackness: Too hard. You do it.

EverShadow: Fine! I'm glad all you reviews appear to like Seifer and I's personality…Next chapyter people!

The Start of What?!

            I awoke with a pounding headache. I had dreamt that Seifer had returned and wanted to help the Garden. I sat up and yawned. It was five in the morning, time for me to warm up by fighting in the training area. My sleepwear was just a peach color consisting of a button up top and loose, silk pants. When I entered the bathroom, I looked into the mirror and jumped at least two feet into the air. I whirled around, my eyes blazing with fury.

            "SEIFER!!! Just how long have you been there?!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. He put a finger up to his mouth.

            "Shh. You'll wake all the other students in the Garden. I've been here long enough to see you sleeping like an angel and long enough to hear you talking in your sleep." He winked at me. 

            "I do not talk in my sleep! Get out of my room!!" I didn't bother to lower my voice. He opened the door and exited but not before saying,

            "It appears to me that you're afraid of the socks burning in the oven. I wonder what else you were dreaming about…" 

            "OUT SEIFER!!!" He closed the door behind him. I went into the bathroom and washed my face with icy cold water. I had dreamt about when I was young. It was winter and I wanted to warm my feet up so I stuck my socks in the oven and tried to warm them up. The socks had caught on fire and I had fallen asleep. It had been Seifer who had woken my up and saved me. Seifer…that jerk…he had saved my life once but then tried to take it numerous times afterwards. Now what trick was he trying to pull? I took a shower, (cold as well) and got dressed by 5:30. When I exited my room, Seifer wasn't there. I silently wondered where he had gone. He was supposed to be stalking me but he wasn't there. How had he gotten into my room? I shuddered at the many possible ways that he could have done the job. I walked out of my dorm and into the hallway. That's when I saw Seifer, he was reaching for his gunblade. There was a child sitting on the floor crying. 

            I ran towards him, grabbing my Save the Queen at the same time. Before I could reach him though, Seifer had handed the kid…a lollypop? The child stopped crying immediately and reached out to take it from him. The child was no more than ten years old, probably one of the new students in training. It was typical for a new student at that age to cry because being separated from parents was not easy. I hid from sight and watched as Seifer lifted the child up on his strong shoulders and smiled. 

            "Let's get you back where you belong." He said and the child laughed. Seifer walked past my hiding spot and towards the dorms. He disappeared momentarily and came back. I stood up. 

            "Instructor! I didn't see you there!" He said giving me a smile.

            "Since when do you carry lollypops in your pocket?" I snapped. 

            "Why can't a guy enjoy a lemon lollypop once in a while?" He asked innocently. I fumed silently and walked towards the Training Area. "Do you need my help in fighting?" I whirled around. 

            "I never, ever needed your help and I never will." I hissed as quietly as possible. I went into the Training Area and searched around for something to take my anger out on. I felt a tap on my shoulder. "I though I told you to GO AWAY!" I turned around and saw a terrified Selphie. 

            "Quisty?" She asked. "Are you always so angry in the morning? I just wanted to say hello…" 

            "I'm sorry, Sephie, I thought you were someone else." I said giving her an apologetic smile. She looked around.

            "I don't see anybody." She said. 

            "Of course you don't. He has an uncanny ability to appear wherever I am and disappear when I'm about to yell at him." I replied bitterly.

            "Zell?" She asked. 

            "I wish. It's Seifer, he's come back to the Garden to try and make up for his mistakes." I sighed a bit and put on a smile. "It's hard to believe isn't it?" She shook her head.

            "Not really. I believe he's really turned around for the better. Of course, there might be another reason why he returned." She looked at me mischievously.

            "And what would that be?" I demanded. 

            "The Trepies have been circulating a rumor that he returned to see you. I overheard Rinoa saying that she and Squall saw you and Seifer…" 

            "That's not what I wanted to hear." I muttered darkly. "If I ever see Rinoa, I'm definitely going to teach her to keep her mouth shut. As for that rumor, he might want to see me but he's the last person I ever want to see again." I found a T-Rexaur and cast aura, determined to make the monster suffer for the actions of Seifer. The nerve of the Trepies and Rinoa! Now people would think that Seifer and I…I cast Shockwave Pulsar, doing around a 32,009, about enough to kill the poor thing. It still wasn't enough. Seifer had taken Ellone, hurt everyone in the group, served Ultimecia until his end and now he was to be forgiven? I had to take my anger out on something stronger. I needed to find the Omega Weapon again. 

            I walked out of the Training Center. The Garden was just coming alive with students walking in and out of the different places. Most of them were already rushing to the cafeteria to stand in line for hotdogs. I bumped into someone. 

            "Ow! Oh…I'm sorry…" I looked up and saw Rinoa. "Quistis! Good morning!" 

            "Yes, good morning to you too." I said. This was my chance to tell her that she had assumed wrong and that spreading rumors wasn't a responsible thing to do. She looked around. 

            "Where's Seifer?" She asked. 

            "I don't know and if you ask me, I could hardly care less. I need to see the Headmaster. I'm going on…" I thought about saying a vacation but that wouldn't be right. "I'm going on a hunt for something." She brightened up. 

            "Really? Can we come with you?" 

            "No, this is something I must do on my own. Otherwise I'll never be able to feel as though I accomplished something." I replied. 

            "Is something wrong?" Squall asked. 

            "Ah, Squall. I would like to request a week's leave please." I asked. 

            "What about Seifer? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on him." He replied. 

            "I'm sure you'll find someone to take care of him." I replied. 

            "No, I can't do that. Everyone's afraid of him. If you're going to leave, then you have to take Seifer with you." I clenched my fists but I held back my anger. 

            "Is there something wrong, Quisty?" Seifer came up beside me and glared at his rival. I shook me head. 

            "No but we're going on a little hunt." I said to him as darkly as possible. 

            "Really? When do we start?" He asked. 

            "Now." No one understood my need to destroy something powerful. No one but I knew that if I didn't do _something _quick, I might very well explode…

Tiger of Blackness: Ooooooo That'll be interesting seeing Quistis explode. 

EverShadow: Yes, won't it be amusing?

Tiger of Blackness: Are you really going to make her go completely insane?

EverShadow: No. 

Tiger of Blackness: Really? 

EverShadow: Yes. EverShadow signing off.


	3. The Search Begins

Tiger of Blackness: Let me guess, Quistis dies? 

EverShadow: NO!! This is one of the few fanfics in which I don't kill anyone!

Tiger of Blackness: Why am I surprised? 

EverShadow: This isn't an angst fic ya know.

Tiger of Blackness: Which surprises me.

EverShadow: Alright. On with the show. You're being extra dull today Tiger.

Tiger of Blackness: You wouldn't understand…

The Search Begins

            "Alright Quistis! You take care of yourself ok?" Selphie cried as Seifer and I disembarked. I gave everyone a hug (Irvine hugged the longest and Selphie got jealous) except Squall. Everyone went a bit quiet as I confronted him. 

            "Be careful. I wouldn't trust Seifer for anything." He said patting me on the shoulder. We shook hands and turned the opposite direction. The others waved goodbye to me, as if this was the last time we would ever meet. I hoped it wouldn't be. Squall gave Seifer a "Touch her and you die" look before the ship took off. I watched as the Ragnarok disappeared from view.

            "Was it just me, ex-instructor, or was that farewell with the Headmaster a bit awkward?" Seifer asked. I turned around and glared at him.

            "We are spending a week together and I intend to make that week worthwhile. In fact, I'm going to pretend that you aren't here." I replied coldly. 

            "Touché." He said giving me a smile. We decided to walk to the nearest town and see what we could find. While Seifer was busy goofing off in town, I could get some information about the Omega Weapon. We walked for a long time in pure silence. We met a few Geezards along the way but it was nothing that we couldn't handle. Seifer hadn't been allowed to junction any GF's because Squall thought with all that extra power he might try and hurt me. Even without a GF, I noticed that he had improved a great deal since the last time we had fought. 

            "So, where's the nearest city?" It was the first time he spoke in hours. I was beginning to get almost tired of his silence. 

            "Deling City. Ever since Ultimecia was defeated, the Galbadian soldiers had cleared out." I was surprised that he winced when I mentioned Galbadia. I sensed that his pride might have been damaged because of it. Secretly, I was glad that I had hit a sensitive spot. 

            It was night by the time we had reached Deling (of course, Deling's always dark) Seifer stretched his arms when we entered town. 

            "It's been a long time since I've been here." He said. "I wonder if anyone remembers me." Obviously they had since we walked through the city pretty much unnoticed. Seifer didn't goof off like I thought he would. He stuck by my side so I couldn't ask about the Omega Weapon. 

            "Seifer, check us in at the hotel." I ordered. He nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Finally, I was rid of him. I immediately began asking if anyone had seen the Omega Weapon around. They gave me a confused look and walked away quickly. I had little choice since no one would answer me. I had to go to Caraway. He should have some useful info. 

            I entered the mansion and looked around. Caraway was missing. He was usually at his desk but this time he wasn't. I immediately noticed that his secret passage way was open. Had he gone into the sewers by himself? That was insane! I walked into the secret passage way and into the sewers. I literally stumbled across the body of Caraway. He was out cold. I looked around, alert for any sort of danger. Suddenly, something large and black rushed up and knocked me down. I regained my footing. Whatever had attacked me was extremely fast. It looked like a Moomba but Moombas were supposed to be peaceful. I used scan on the creature. It was a Moomba. It was a Dark Moomba with unknown stats. It attacked first with "Moomba Slash." Ow, I was already down to a hundred some HP. Suddenly, a voice shouted, "Curaga!" I got up, the magic healing my wound. Seifer came up beside me.

            "You're lucky I found you otherwise it would have been game over for you." He said smiling. I didn't smile back. I could have handled a Moomba by myself. If I couldn't defeat a Moomba, how could I defeat the Omega Weapon? 

            "Leave me alone, Seifer, I'll handle this myself!" I shouted. He looked at me with an expression that I couldn't describe at the moment and then left but not before casting Aura on me. I could have done it myself but all thoughts drained away when I cast my Shockwave Pulsar. The Moomba writhed a bit but remained unfinished. I had Auto-haste on so it took a little less than one second for me to attack again. The Moomba went down but while it did, it cast Flare, taking me down with it. Someone caught me as my mind went blank. 

            Seifer's expression…how could I describe it? The image of his face played over and over in my mind, as if wanting me to find the right word for it. I couldn't remember the last time someone gave me that expression. It had been too long. Suddenly, after the fourteenth time the image played I realized with a jolt what it was. It was an expression of pure concern with a touch of…was it possible…love? Was Seifer in love with me? Impossible, we were complete opposites. _Or are you?_ And evil voice in my head snickered. This caused me to think about our differences and our similarities. Seifer and I were both leaders, that usually clashed together horribly, we were both orphans, we were both outcasts and we had both sealed our hearts up. Had he finally opened it? Of all the people, why was it me? 

            I woke up suddenly, sitting upright in bed. I looked around and saw Seifer sleeping silently in a chair. Impossible, he couldn't love me. I hated him, he hated me, that was for sure. I needed some air to think this through. My dream had probably altered the expression but that would be even worse, that would mean that I wanted him to show concern and love. Did I? Of course not, how absurd. 

Tiger of Blackness: Cliffhanger?

EverShadow: Sorta.

Tiger of Blackness: YOU FOOL!!! I HATE CLIFFHANGERS!!

EverShadow: LIVE WITH IT!!

Tiger of Blackness: NO!! * Attacks EverShadow *

EverShadow: NO!! MUST…RUN…AWAY!!!! GAAAHH!!! EverShadow signing off.


	4. First and Last Time

Tiger of Blackness: Been a long time since you updated this. 

EverShadow: Whoops…well, I kept my promise!! I updated three things didn't I?

Tiger of Blackness: And that's supposed to be a lot?

EverShadow: GRR!! On with the show!!

Tiger of Blackness: You know you can't win this argument so you're ending it as quickly as possible.

First and Last Time

            I awoke feeling utterly horrible. That Moomba had packed quite a punch…er…flare. I looked around. Seifer was missing. Of course he was, he was completely unreliable. He probably thought I was weak and left. Squall would kill me if he found out that I had lost Seifer. 

            "Damn him!" I cursed, pounding the bed.

            "Damn who?" Seifer walked in carrying a slip of paper. 

            "Where did you go?!" I demanded. 

            "Out. I thought you wouldn't mind if I looked around the city. You were still asleep so I thought I would take a look at some of the restaurants around here. There's nothing good except the one downstairs." He replied. 

            "And you expect me to believe that? Seifer, if I didn't know you better I'd say that you were…" 

            "Asking you out?" I was stunned by his words. I sat upright, dumbfounded and if I had been any less controlled, I would have been gaping like a fool. I blinked several times before I could say anything.

            "Excuse me? What did you say?" 

            "You heard me instructor. I don't think I have to repeat myself. So, are you up for the challenge of dining with your favorite student or are you too afraid of me?" He smirked as if I had already accepted. 

            "What makes you think you're my favorite student?! Of all the things to say I…" 

            "That's right!" he cut in. "Squall is your favorite!" Ouch, that was a blow harder than the Moomba could ever manage. I inwardly winced at his comment but he didn't stop there. "He's not just your favorite student now is he? Forgetful me." Ouch again. This time I really winced and looked away. 

            "Seifer…you're driving me insane. I could kill you!" 

            "Save that for bed." If there had been as many words for red as there were on my face, I would have written an entire novel just on those words. He was clever indeed. He was taunting me into accepting but I was too clever for him.

            "Fine, I accept." Or not. Ok, so my mind didn't react the same way, I was obviously delirious from the spell the Moomba cast on me. Although dinner didn't seem too bad. "Now get out of my room!" I shouted. He shrugged and exited. As soon as the door closed, I went into a state of panic. What did I just do? What was he going to do? Why had I accepted??!! What was wrong with me??!! What was I going to wear??!!! Whoa, backtrack. Did I just think that? Of course I did and it seemed like a reasonable question. No it wasn't!! 

            While I had a mind battle between myself and myself, Seifer stood outside the door whistling. 

            "Hey, Quistis, I'm going to go make reservations alright?" 

            "Fine! You go do that!" I shouted. Finally, one side won out and it wasn't the side that disagreed with my decision to "dine" with Seifer. I heard footsteps leave the area and I decided to run out and buy something to wear. I entered several of the shops and asked for a decent dress. It was either too low cut, too much exposure, or too see through. I finally went back to the room and dressed up in my SeeD uniform. After all, it seemed nice enough to wear. It wasn't a date after all, it was dinner with a former enemy. 

            Former enemy? FORMER??!!

            "Quistis? Are you done yet?" Seifer knocked on the door. What had taken him so long to make the reservations. "Sorry you had to wait. I had to threaten one of the people at the counter to get our seats. Are you ready?" I couldn't resist putting a bit of makeup on just to see the look on his face. When I stepped out of the room, the reaction was a bit more than I had expected. 

            Much more. 

            Seifer's eyes doubled in size and he was gaping like a fool. I was tempted to slap him for staring but compassion won over.

            "Pick up your mouth and wipe the drool off your face." I said sharply.

            "Did I just hear an insult from Quisty? Perfect Instructor Quisis Trepe?" He asked regaining composure. We walked down to the table and ordered out meals. Seifer made pathetic attempts to start a conversation and we ended up talking about my SeeD uniform.

            "I never got to wear one of those." He sighed. "Never was quite good enough to achieve any rank of SeeD." 

            "You were a good student, bad temper…er…horrible temper but you were a good student." Whap! I could tell that made a serious impression on Seifer. It had been a long time since I had said anything nice about him. Certainly it was the last. 

            "Right…are you sure you didn't have too much to drink?" He asked. I shook my head and looked at the stage. 

            "This was where Julia performed many years ago. To think that if Laguna had stayed here…Rinoa might not have been born." I said in a soft voice.

            "But then again, Squall wouldn't have been born either." He said. I couldn't tell if his voice hinted of compassion or mockery. I didn't care. "You know, Instructor, he is technically younger than you." Something inside me snapped. 

            "And technically so are you, so just leave me be!" I stood up and walked into my room again and shut the door. I pressed my face into the pillow, not daring to cry, not daring to give Seifer an excuse to comfort me. 

EverShadow: Hehe…I put sleeping pills into Tiger's drink. She'll be out for at least the remainder of this blurb! MWAHAHAHAHA!! Although afterwards I'm going to be dead…NOOOOO!! WHAT DID I DO??!! TIGER WAKE UP!!!

Tiger of Blackness: Huh…? Waaaaaaahhhhhhh??

EverShadow: Are you going to kill me?

Tiger of Blackness: *Snore* 

EverShadow: ………that's a yes…meep…EverShadow signing off.


	5. Embrace

I don't own the Final Fantasy as in rights and all that stuff but I own the games!

EverShadow: And here we have another chapyter!! Thanx to all of you who reviewed!!!

Tiger of Blackness: Well, that's one of the first times you actually thanked the people who inspired to continue.

EverShadow: What are you implying?

Tiger of Blackness: I'm saying that you're an unrespectable slob when it comes to manners.

EverShadow: And you're any better??

Tiger of Blackness: Now I didn't mention anything about myself, I merely said that you were the slob.

EverShadow: GRRR…on with the show…

Embrace

            _Curse you, Seifer, why are you so darn persistent??!_ I thought as I dressed up in my regular outfit. There was a knock on my door.

            "What do you want, Seifer?" I demanded. 

            "May I come in?" He asked gently from the outside. I brushed aside my anger at him and let out a sigh of frustration.

            "Yes you may." The door opened and he walked in. I was sitting on the bed and trying not to look him in the eyes.

            "I'm sorry if I offended you." He apologized. "But Quisty, you've got to let him go. He's not coming back to you, he's got Rin." I clenched my fists and teeth, trying to force back the onslaught of emotions.

            "Don't you think I know that? He and Rinoa are complete opposites and that's why they go together so well. It's my own unrequited love so leave me alone, Seifer. And stop calling me Quisty!" I shouted. 

            "At least you admitted that you are still hoping that he will run back to you. I doubt it. You couldn't take Ellone's place and you can't take the place in puberty boy's heart." I winced openly. He had struck one of the places that I hurt the most. 

            "How did you know about that?" He looked at me, confused by the question. Figures, it was Seifer, he barely understood straight forward test questions. "How did you know that I tried to take Ellone's place?" 

            "Look, puberty boy might not have noticed but I'm not that stupid and don't you dare laugh!" I couldn't help but smile a little. "You were always trying to be kind and gentle, even when we got into the worst kind of trouble. You were always looking out for us, taking the blame when we did something wrong. Sure, he didn't notice because he was too busy trying to be a brave little idiot but I know you better than anyone else." I winced again. I hated to admit it but he was right about everything, even the knowing me better than anyone. "For lack of a better metaphor, we were like peanut butter and jelly." This time I laughed out loud.

            "Peanut butter and jelly? You couldn't come up with a better metaphor?" I laughed. He smiled back and laughed as well. He sat down beside me and I suddenly grew extremely uncomfortable. There was something about his eyes that softened whenever they looked into mine.

            "You look beautiful when you smile, Quisty." He called me beautiful and he called me Quisty. Those were the two things I didn't want him to say. Next thing he was probably going to say was…

            "And I love you." 

            ……………………………………………………………………HOLY SHIT.

            I sat there, staring into his deep aqua eyes, my mind completely obliterated of all reasonable thought. Everything that kept me the composed, calm, quiet Quistis was destroyed with three words. I could have flung myself out of the window, unfortunately, he had a strong grip on my hand. 

            "Quisty?" He asked. I blinked several times, considered slapping myself but instead, I got up and pulled my hand out of his.

            "Leave me alone." I hissed and walked out of the door, not even bothering to close it all the way. All I wanted was to get away from that man trying to hurt me again. He was like any other guy, throwing around those precious words like they didn't mean anything. I walked down the streets of Deling city and sat down next to the fountain, my knees drawn up against my face. I looked like a lost child and in some ways I was. Memories of the past flooded my mind, the socks in the oven, the fireworks, Seifer always looking out for me even though I was a little older and had Ellone to depend on. After I lost them both for a while, I had given up on everything. Who was he to reopen wounds already scarred?

EverShadow: Short but good, right?

Tiger of Blackness: *Bangs her with a pot* Too soon I think, fool.

EverShadow: OUCH! Pain…

Tiger of Blackness: You can register pain…wow…I didn't think you were bright enough.

EverShadow: Open mouth insert foot.

Tiger of Blackness: Hehe…

EverShadow: Well, this is EverShadow saying goodnight!

Tiger of Blackness: Isn't it…EverShadow signing off?

EverShadow: I wanted a change.

Tiger of Blackness: ……………………It just doesn't have the same effect. 

EverShadow: Fine. EverShadow signing off.


	6. The Quiet Touch

Lalala don't look at me! I don't own Square Enix…

EverShadow: Sorry for the wait! I've been trying to beat Xenosaga.

Tiger of Blackness: Soo much blood in it…

EverShadow: And when you beat some of the people, I'd never thought I'd be glad to see people bleed.

Tiger of Blackness: Yup! I'm always glad to see people bleed.

EverShadow: Riiiighht…anyway, on with the show!

The Quiet Touch

            Seifer kicked around the objects in the room. He made such a noise that a person knocked on his door and told him to be quiet. He took out his gunblade and threatened to kill that person if he didn't go away. That got him some peace and quiet and he resumed tearing up the room. How could he have been so stupid? Quistis was still healing after losing that stupid Squall to Rinoa. It was almost the same for him since he and Rinoa were once…

            "That was the past!" He roared to no one. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!" _You know you can't get anywhere just by kicking things around. Sure, it'll calm your anger but what about Quistis? How do you think she feels right now?_ Seifer stopped. The stupid little voice in his head was right. What if Quistis was going to jump off a bridge or something? He didn't even bother going through the door. He broke the window and jumped out, leaving the janitors to stare in awe at the mess he had created. 

            _I guess I'm still a child when it comes to emotions._ Quistis thought. _I thought I was in love with Squall but…maybe I wasn't._ _But Seifer of all people had to love me. I treated him like dirt. Worse than that. How could I…_

"Finally, I found you." Seifer plopped down beside her.

            "Go away, Seifer. I never want to see you again." 

            "But isn't that against the Headmaster's orders?" He asked and almost immediately mentally slapped himself. How could be so stupid as to mention Squall again? Was he subconsciously trying to hurt Quisty? His Quisty? 

            "I don't care about the Headmaster." She snapped. Because her face was pressed into her knees, she didn't see what Seifer was doing. He removed one of his gloves and ran his fingers through her hair. She jumped and looked up.

            "What are you doing?!" She demanded.

            "Shh…" He replied, not stopping what he was doing. Quistis stared at his face, completely awed by the emotion she saw there. It was concentration, memorization with a touch of surprise. "Your hair is really soft." He said quietly. She breathed in sharply when his fingers traced the outline of her face. Though his fingers were calloused from use of his gunblade, the way he traced her face was light and sensitive. Quistis couldn't take it. What did he think he was doing? Finally, his hand rested on hers and removed the black glove there. They compared hands. Finally, she snapped out of it.

            "What the hell are you doing?" She asked. He smiled at her.

            "Do you remember what we did after we set off the fireworks?" He asked. She shook her head.

            "The GFs…" 

            "I know. I was just wondering if you remember it. No matter how much I junction a GF, I will never forget that night." 

            "What happened?" 

            "Tch, what's the use of telling you?" He snapped in his old manner. "You wouldn't care." 

            "Tell me Seifer." She hissed and he smiled again.

            "Fine. We had just finished watching the fireworks and everyone was going back inside. Crybaby Zell followed everyone else, whining about how dangerous that was but he didn't want to be left out. Anyway, I was just walking up the steps when I noticed you still hanging around. So I went down and sat beside you." His smile turned into a grin. "You told me to go away but I didn't. I asked you if you were cold and told you to go back into the house. You looked up and your eyes were sparkling with unshed tears." He looked over Quistis's face to see if she remembered. Her expression remained blank. "You asked if the fireworks went high enough to reach heaven so that your parents could see them and you wondered if they thought you were being a bad girl by playing with them." 

            "I think I remember it a little." She replied.

            "And after that, we stared up at the stars and you fell asleep and guess where?" Quistis gasped. "Yeah, right in my arms. I remember thinking to myself, 'Ack! I've been touched by a girl!'" 

            "I felt safe. That's what I remember." She said with a little effort. Without warning, he took her in his arms.

            "And before you say anything, shut up." He barked. "Shut up, stop thinking for once, don't struggle and just feel." Quistis was about to do all three of the things that he mentioned not to do but his harsh command made her stop. No one had held her like that before, not her adopted parents, not even Matron. Only Seifer had done it once and he was doing it again. _I think I missed this the most…_she thought sadly. _But now…it's different. I'll just feel, just like Seifer said._ And with that, she cast all her thoughts, her painful memories, her unrequited loves out of her mind.

EverShadow: Lots of Fluff!!

Tiger of Blackness: Here Fluffy!

EverShadow: Eh?

Tiger of Blackness: I was joking. Now, when are you going to have Quistis fight the Omega as you originally planned?

EverShadow: You'll see what happens. After all, this happiness is so un-Quistis. I'll just have to throw in a few plot twists, a few deaths…

Tiger of Blackness: DEATHS??!! OF WHOM?? WHERE? WHEN? HOW? WHY?????!!

EverShadow: Hehehe…this is EverShadow signing off.


	7. And Back to Reality

EverShadow: Wow…long time no updatey on this fanfic. Hm…

Tiger of Blackness: What are you plotting now?  
EverShadow: I dunno. After all that fluff and OOCness, I'd better come up with something to remedy that.

Tiger of Blackness: I'll say it's OOC. 

EverShadow: Well, on with the show!!

And Back to Reality

            Quistis looked up at the rising sun and snuggled closer to the warmth that was Seifer's body. Suddenly, she shot up and looked around. Seifer was sleeping right next to her, his arms still wrapped around her body.

            "WHAT THE??!!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. How the hell did she end up in the same bed as Seifer??!! She looked down. Good, she was fully clothed. Then, she proceeded the shove the sleeping lump off the bed, resulting in a head collision with the night stand.

            "OW! What the??!!"

            "Exactly what I said!" Quistis yelled. "What the heck happened? Why am I in bed with you?!" Seifer rubbed his head and she blushed when she saw that he was shirtless. However, this made her even more edgy.

            "Well, we had such a wonderful night, I did anyway." He laughed after seeing Quistis's cheeks turn a few shades darker and then lighter as blood drained out of her face. "Relax, Quisty, I'm joking. You fell asleep in my arms and it wouldn't look very good if we remained in that position. After all, if someone who knew you saw us, they would likely get the wrong idea. I carried you back to the hotel and after some explaining about the havoc I unleashed upon our previous room, they gave us another one." He smirked. "It also took a few good slashes of my gunblade to 'convince them.'" 

            "And would it look any better with me in your arms as you carried me back?!" she demanded. "Ugh! This is hopeless." She shook her head. "I'm taking a shower and locking the door so you and your unpleasant mind can stay on the other side." She closed the bathroom door. His smirk grew wider as he closed the door behind him. Quistis sighed and leaned against it." Seifer said on the other side. She turned on the water and tried to forget. She pretended not to hear him. "Quistis," he had used her real name, not some childish nickname. "Please, come out." Was that sadness that etched into his voice? Quistis recognized the tone quickly. She had used it herself. It was the tone of someone seeking comfort, retribution or something along those lines. She finished her shower quickly and stepped out…in her towel.

            Seifer sat on the bed, twirling his gunblade around recklessly. His face held no trace of the original sadness she had detected. He had gone back to his cold, distant self. Only, there was something even colder than that.

            "So, you came out did you?" he sneered. "You could've locked yourself up forever. You can't fool me instructor. You haven't gotten soft on me at all. You're just like the rest of them. You just want to get me out of your life forever." He stood up and glared at her, not even blinking after noticing that she was dressed in nothing but a towel. Suddenly, Quistis thought that it would be a good idea to run. She tried to head for the door but Seifer grabbed her wrist and whirled her around. She was forced to gaze into his angry eyes.

            "Anti-Rinoa," she said exasperatedly.

            "What?" He said, confused and still angry.

            "That's what I am. I'm the anti-Rinoa. I'm not emotional like her and sometimes I wish I was. She brings people into her life while I push people out. She's so energetic and loving. I…I'm cold."

            "Which is why I love you. I like you just the way you are," he hissed. Her eyes widened considerably.

            "What?" she whispered. He let go of her and moved to the window, ruffling his hair in frustration.

            "You never *&^%$#\ knew did you?" he yelled. "Always gazing a puberty boy and never at me? You never gave me any special attention and for a long time, I decided that I wouldn't pass my SeeD exam until you did. Then, I wanted to beat him, to kill him so you would notice me!" He turned around and Quistis saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. There was anger, frustration and…desperation.

            "I'm trying to understand you!" he shouted. "I try to be sensitive, I try to be tough and cold like you, I try every frickin' thing and you…you ignore me!" And then that desperation faded from his eyes. "You know what, Instructor, forget I ever tried. It's hopeless and I'm sorry to have wasted your time and my breath." He glared at her. "Let's just get on with whatever it is that you want to do and go back." _It's pointless. No one's ever cared for me. Why should I care for anyone else?_

            "Seifer…" she began.

            "With all due respect, you should get clothed unless you're just asking for trouble. I'll be waiting downstairs in the lobby." He exited the room, slamming the door in the process. Quistis sighed and closed her eyes, trying to force back the tears.

Tiger of Blackness: And…?

EverShadow: We have our lovers' first quarrel!

Tiger of Blackness: Why don't I feel comforted by this thought.

EverShadow: You shouldn't. After all…one of them is going to…

Tiger of Blackness: DON'T SAY IT!! I WILL LAUNCH MYSELF AT FULL SPEED AT YOUR HEAD AND MARK MY WORDS, YOU WILL SLEEP WITH THE FISHES!!

EverShadow: ………EverShadow signing off.


	8. Concern of Balamb

EverShadow: Sorry for the disappearance again. I seem to be pulling off a lot of those, huh?

Tiger of Blackness: You just don't care about your reviewers do you?

EverShadow: I DO!! It's just that I hardly have any time…huff…and I promised that I'd update too! I'm so sorry!

Tiger of Blackness: You're making up now?

EverShadow: Yes!

Tiger of Blackness: *Chokes back laughter* HAHAHAHAHA!!!

EverShadow: Grr…on with the show.

Concern of Balamb

            Squall paced up and down his room, sitting down and then immediately getting up again. He just couldn't get over the fact that Quisty, his instructor and his friend, had gone off with the last person he'd trust her with, Seifer. He was a fool for trusting Seifer. What was he doing now? Images of Quistis lying against a tree, cut up and scorched, flashed through his mind and he shook his head to get them out. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't bring himself to disregard the fact that Seifer was a _willing_ partner with Ultimecia and that by leaving him _alone_ with Quistis, he was putting her in danger. 

            Two soft and delicate hands caressed his shoulders. He gave a deep sigh and put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on the table.

            "I'll bet you 100 gil I know exactly what's troubling you." Rinoa said, peeking over his shoulder at his distressed face. 

            "I'm not in the mood," he snapped irritably. Rinoa smiled knowingly. He didn't really want her to leave. 

            "Squall, you're worried about Quistis aren't you?" she asked. A grunt was her response and she smiled even more, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm worried about her too but you've got to believe that she can take care of herself."

            "You're just saying that because you used to date Seifer." He replied. Her head snapped back and she placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

            "I am not."

            "You don't even know Quistis that well. Believe me, she's too trusting to know that Seifer's plotting something! I can't believe I let her go. Seifer's no good! I should've finished him off when I had the chance." He snapped, getting up from the table and getting a glass of water because he had nothing to do. Rinoa intercepted him and blocked him from the sink.

            "Squall, I might not know Quistis as well as you do but she is one of the group that defeated Ultimecia. She was Seifer's instructor. That much I know and that's all I need to know. If Seifer says that he's made amends, I believe him." Squall frowned and turned around. He made his way to the door. "Squall! You're just afraid that he'll take Quistis away!" He exited the room, leaving Rinoa furious. _What do I see in him?_ She wondered, smiling a little.

            Irvine whistled as he searched for Selphie. Usually they were inseparable but she had vanished in the morning and hadn't been seen since. He wasn't worried about her but he was curious as to what she was up to. He had searched through the Quad, the Infirmary, the Cafeteria, the Library, and even the Secret Spot in the Training Center. She had simply vanished and there were very little places left for her to hide. Two girls walked by and he waved to them, flashing a trademark grin. They giggled and ran off. Suddenly, a small shoe hit him on the head.

            "Ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot.

            "IRVINE YOU PERVERT!" A voice shouted from above. "WHEN I COME DOWN YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!" He grinned and looked up. Sure enough, there was the small girl in yellow glaring down at him. He walked over to the elevator and pushed the "up" button. He kept on whistling as the elevator came to a stop on the second floor. The doors opened and he expected to be slapped upon arrival. Strangely, there was no one where Selphie had stood. He looked around, a little afraid of an ambush from above or anywhere for that matter. When the coast seemed clear, he made his was up the hall. He peeked into the classroom where Zell was busy making out with the library girl, Ayane. He turned away quickly and pretended like he didn't see a thing. The classroom was empty, there was only the roof.

            He opened the door and smiled at his findings. Selphie was leaning against the metal and looked out over the vast expanse of the ocean. Fisherman's Horizon was beautiful. He walked up behind her.

            "Hey there, little lady."

            "I'm too upset to be angry at you." She snapped. He smirked and tried his best not to laugh aloud.

            "If it's about Quisty, I can assure you she can handle herself. You've got nothing to worry about. Believe me, she's the dominatrix kind." Selphie spun around and slapped him on the arm.

            "I really am worried! What if Seifer tries to kill her while she's sleeping?!"

            "I think Seifer would try something else." Another slap. "What?!"

            "Will you stop thinking about that and be serious!" She yelled. He sighed and placed his hand over Selphie's, trying to calm her down. This did not have its desired affect. It only served to aggravate her more. "You pick this time to be romantic?!" Irvine winced at her loud voice.

            "Selphie, this isn't helping at all. Seifer's a bastard. He's the king of undisputed bastardness. But if you ask me, he likes Quisty and he likes her a lot. If you haven't forgotten, those two were more than close back at the orphanage. They were made for each other and because of the GFs, they forgot all about that. I remember Edea saying, 'If Quistis and Seifer don't end up in love, I'll serve Ultimecia.'"

            "But she did…" Selphie complained. "AND QUISTIS WOULD NEVER EVER FALL FOR A GUY LIKE THAT! He blew up my home…" Irvine pulled her into an embrace. 

            "You're not her mother. She's older than you and much wiser. Respect her judgment." He whispered. Selphie clung to him, not wanting to believe that Seifer, of all people was trustworthy.

            Squall stood alone in the training grounds even though it was well after evening. He had killed a few Grats to vent his anger.

            "Squall?" He turned around.

            "Selphie? What are you doing here?" (A/N: Selphie: I'm here to seduce you Squall…*giggle.*) Selphie sighed.

            "I'm worried about Quistis and no one else seems to be worried. I came here hoping to find you." She replied.

            "What for?"

            "I'm asking for clearance to go and find her. I want to take the Ragnarok and find out if she's ok. Is that ok with you?" Squall put his gunblade away and sighed.

            "I'm coming with you." He ordered. "If Seifer tries anything…" The glint in his eyes signified his intent. Selphie and Squall stole through the night and ran through Fisherman's Horizon. They boarded the Ragnarok and took off into the night.

EverShadow: Uh oh…

Tiger of Blackness: This cannot signify anything good.

EverShadow: Yeah, I'll say. I mean, at the current moment, Seifer's not exactly in a good mood and if they catch him…

Tiger of Blackness: If you give anything away, if you kill Seifer, I will personally set a render on you.

EverShadow: Master Grapple and dice me into cubes???

Tiger of Blackness: Indeed.

EverShadow: ug…EverShadow signing off.


	9. Seifer Alone

EverShadow: Oh my. Squall is going to find out!

Tiger of Blackness: About what? They're not doing anything wrong.

EverShadow: Seifer's going to…um…

Tiger of Blackness: I SURE HOPE YOU'RE NOT THINKING WHAT I THINK YOU'RE THINKING!!! 

EverShadow: Well, you'll find out. On with the show!!

Tiger of Blackness: EVER I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!

Seifer Alone

            Quistis sighed as she made her way past the cliffs. It had been all too long since she had a good view of anything and the sunset made her stop breathing altogether. Seifer on the other hand was in a similar predicament, only it wasn't the sunset (AN: Wink wink nudge nudge). He took a few moments to remember that Quistis wasn't in love with him but with puberty-boy. This only caused the anger within him to rise.

            "Are you done admiring the scene?" he scoffed. She turned to face him, her face innocent and her eyes wide. He felt more anger. How dare puberty-boy hurt her?

            "Yes, Almasy, I am quite done." She snapped, back to her original self. "Let's get…" Suddenly she felt it. She could feel the Omega's presence. It was too hard not to notice the overwhelming power, almost ten times more powerful than the one she had faced in Ultimecia's castle. And it scared her. Seifer didn't feel anything.

            "What's wrong?" he asked.

            "Nothing." She looked around. There didn't seem to be anything. In fact, the presence was gone. Seifer scoffed again.

            "There, you see? You never tell me what's on your mind. Instructor, if there's something wrong that makes you worried, chances are, it could hurt me too and I don't think I want to be killed because you sense something and I don't. What is it? A behemoth?" She shook her head.

            "You're twisting the situation so that you can make me feel guilty." She replied, feeling utterly frustrated at him.

            "Well isn't it? This entire mess was your idea." 

            "You never should've come back to the Garden."

            "THE ONLY REASON I CAME BACK WAS BECAUSE OF YOU! WITHOUT YOU I WOULD'VE STAYED AWAY FROM THAT HELLHOLE FOR THE REST OF MY FRICKIN' LIFE!" He roared, silencing the entire area around him. Quistis looked away and didn't notice that Seifer was advancing until he had grasped her by the chin. "Don't look away, Instructor. Don't you want to see your favorite student?" She tried to push him away but in one swift movement, grasped both her hands by the wrists. "Well?" He forcefully kissed her and Quistis felt tears springing to her eyes.

            "Look!" Selphie screamed. "Squall!" Squall rushed over to the window and saw Seifer. Even though they were high up, he could see exactly how close they were and he could assume from there.

            "Selphie! Land this thing right now!" He yelled.

            "On it!" she replied as they almost crashed onto the cliff. Seifer knew that the Ragnarok was there. He wanted to see the reaction on puberty-boy's face. Selphie and Squall ran out, weapons drawn. He tore away from Quistis and smirked.

            "Well, come to check up on us? As you can see, things are going fine."

            "Shut up Almasy. I warned you that if you touched Quistis…"

            "What?" he laughed evilly. "Like this?" He kissed her again. Quistis struggled away.

            "Don't worry Quisty!" Selphie yelled. Squall rushed up and slashed down at Seifer. He blocked easily. Hidden in the airship, Rinoa watched as the two fought. She felt her legs tremble in an urge to stop the two.

            "Now you can blame me puberty-boy. I touched your dear Instructor alright. Come on." He jumped back and made a move to jab the commander. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. She wouldn't have to two men kill each other. Rinoa rushed to stop the two.

            "No do…" her voice was cut short. Seifer had been in the middle of charging and he couldn't stop. The gunblade pierced Rinoa's ribcage.

            "RINOA!" Squall nearly screamed. He didn't know how Rinoa had snuck on board but she was there…and he felt the world stop. Selphie dropped her weapon and ran to her. Seifer looked shocked and then changed his expression to a cold one.

            "She interfered."

            "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Squall roared.

            "Stop!!" Quistis snapped. Both men looked at her. She had her Save the Queen ready. "Squall, you and Selphie take Rinoa to Deling. It's the closest town. I'll handle Seifer."

            "Quisty…" Selphie whispered.

            "I will handle him. Trust me, I will handle him." She repeated. Squall didn't give it a second thought. He picked Rinoa up and both of them ran back to the Ragnarok and took off.

            "You, handle me?" Seifer laughed.

            "Seifer, I vowed to myself that if I needed to, I would kill you. That's exactly what I'm going to do. I'll do it for Rinoa for everyone you've hurt." She replied.

            "And that includes you?" She struck him sharply on the shoulder, cutting open a wound. He laughed again, his eyes blazing maniacally. He raised his gunblade.

            "If I can't have you, no one will." He brought the gunblade down but it met only rock. She whirled to the side and struck him on the ribs and the cheek. "That stung, Instructor."

            "It won't for long." She replied. Though Seifer was an excellent gunblade master, Quistis hadn't been named an instructor for nothing. She lashed out, catching him around the neck. He dropped his gunblade and grabbed at the whip.

            "Can you do it?" he asked. She pulled, strangling him. He smiled at her even though his face was turning red.

            Suddenly, the Omega Weapon appeared. Quistis looked at the towering monster. It was far too powerful for even all the SeeDs in the whole Balamb Garden to handle. She stared wide-eyed as it charged up its attack. She looked back at Seifer.

            _Seifer…don't you dare die. I have to kill you myself. I…you're the only one capable of understanding me and I'm the only one capable of understanding you._

_            "Quisty!!" Seifer yelled, he was a child, running after the car that was speeding away, carrying Quistis away to her new and dreaded home. "Quisty come back!! Don't leave me!!" In the car, the small blond scrambled against her new "father's" grip. She would've jumped out of the car._

_            "Seifer!" she yelled, her hands pressed to the window as Seifer ran alongside the car. The car kept going faster until Seifer couldn't keep up._

_            "Quisty!! COME BACK QUISTY! DON'T LEAVE ME!! I'LL DIE WITHOUT YOU!!"_

            "Seifer!" She yelled, dropping her whip and running to cover his body with hers. The explosion could be seen from the Ragnarok.

.

.

.

EverShadow: *Giggles* What happened to Seifer. And notice, I didn't mention Quistis…

Tiger of Blackness: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

EverShadow: That's enough, come on Tiger, pull yourself together.

Tiger of Blackness: You enjoy doing this to me don't you? YOU KILL OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS JUST TO SEE ME WRITHE!

EverShadow: I dunno. Anyway, wait til next chapyter, and I'll even give you the title. Bleeding Tears oooo can't wait! EverShadow signing off.


	10. Bleeding Tears

Tiger of Blackness: Since I have murdered EverShadow, I will now take over this fanfic.

EverShadow: I'm baaaack!

Tiger of Blackness: WHAT?? HOW…WHEN…WHAT??

EverShadow: Oh, I'm not actually EverShadow. I'm EverShadow's clone. She told me that if something were to happen to her, Tiger related, I should come out.

Tiger of Blackness: *Looks back at massive tank filled with EverShadow clones* She's been watching waaay too much Eva.

EverShadow: So I'm here to take over!

Tiger of Blackness: NOOOOOO!!! WHEN WILL THE TERROR END?? Where's the switch Ritsuko had? I need it!!

EverShadow: Now…how does she say it? On with the show?

Bleeding Tears

            Balamb Garden held a special funeral at the orphanage in the flower field. Hundreds attended it; Squall could hardly bring himself to show up. He had undergone severe emotional trauma. Rinoa was in severe condition but she wanted to be at the funeral. She wanted to see. Squall had wheeled her all the way to the flower field and she thought it ironic that such a beautiful place, a place where she and Squall had promised to meet at if they were ever separated, should become a graveyard. Selphie wept in Irvine's arms, thinking that somehow she was responsible for all of this. If she had left earlier, maybe she could've helped them. Irvine was torn up, unable to speak for days. He thought that after beating Ultimecia and saving the world, the six of them were invincible. But he had been proved wrong. Zell refused to believe anything. He ran out of the Garden, screaming, "QUISTIS! YOU BETTER COME BACK! QUISTIS!!" Not even Ayane could calm him down. He ran as far as the ocean and would've jumped and swam across if Squall and Irvine hadn't grabbed him by the arms and knocked him out cold. He was angry with himself for not being there.

            "We are gathered here today…" Cid began, his eyes red from crying. He was an emotional man. The death of a dear friend like Quistis was more than he could take. "We…we are gathered here today to commemorate the honorable SeeD and even better Instructor, Quistis Trepe." All around him, students and friends were sobbing. "She…she was an excellent student; one of the best that the Garden ever produced. But what really made her surpass all others was her kind heart and strong will. We…we will never forget her." He stepped down from the podium. Edea took the empty space he had occupied. She was saddened, but her tears had long run dry.

            "As a child, she showed wisdom beyond her ages. Sadly, I was not there to experience every moment of joy she had to offer. I think she would've liked it if we all remembered her for her accomplishments. I've done much wrong in my life but the bitterest thing I've done was abandon her and the other children. Forgive me." Squall made his way up to the podium. His expression was sullen and sour.

            "I blame myself for what happened even though Quistis wouldn't have liked that I have done so. I was there when it happened. The Omega Weapon, something we thought we had defeated, had returned. We still have no idea where it is and we caution you. But…this is not about cautioning. Quistis was in every aspect the model instructor, friend and savior. She stuck to the rules when everyone else didn't. She was bright and caring. And…" Suddenly Squall felt sick. He couldn't talk about her like that. He just couldn't, not in the past tense…not like before. He walked away.

            "Squall…" Rinoa whispered as he disappeared into the ruined building of the orphanage. Selphie couldn't even get Quistis's name out before collapsing in tears. 

            "Why?!" She sobbed. "Why does it have to be like this? She was too good! That bastard! That freaking bastard!" Irvine comforted him and led her away. Zell couldn't walk up there. He had too much to say but couldn't find the courage or the words to speak. He was in shock and denial. It seemed fitting that her adoptive parents should've been there but they didn't care nor did they bother to take the time. Other people walked up, some of them Trepies. All the while a shadowed man, one who had suffered more than enough during his time, one who's heart had been broken two times by the same woman, the man whom happiness had forgotten stood watching. His expression was lifeless. These words were meaningless to him. They didn't come from someone who loved her like he did.

            "Seifer." The word was a threat. He didn't bother turning around so Squall grabbed him by the back of his trench coat and whirled him around, punching him. He accepted the pain. "You son of a bitch. You…it's because of you that Quistis is dead!" Squall knocked him to the ground.

            "She gave her life to save me. Are you going to go against her wishes? If so, by all means send me into death with her, puberty-boy." Seifer said bitterly, picking himself up. Squall raised his hand to send him sprawling again but could not, for the expression on Seifer's face was not anger, it was sorrow.

            "You're not worth it," Squall snapped. "If you really did love her like you claim, then her death is more than enough torture for you." He walked towards the ocean, hands in pockets and eyes to the sky. He kicked pieces of rubble and vented his anger on the sand as he collapsed on his knees and punched the ground. Squall was a torn man but at least he could function. Seifer had lost all he had to live for. Seifer sighed and went downstairs into the ruined basement. Years of the sea wind had rotted most of the structure and he could see the beach through cracks. But no one could see him as he curled up against a cold wall, the air hitting the back of his nose. All the while, he cried like a small child.

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_Death isn't a gift you give someone you love._

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THE END!

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HAHA!! JOKING!!

Tiger of Blackness: You've done it again, Ever. You've broken me. You've killed off every single character I like. And you did it with a smile on your face.

EverShadow: Sorry, I'm just building up to the climax.

Tiger of Blackness: If this ends here, I'm going to kill you.

EverShadow: Maybe? Haha. Don't worry, there's going to be more. A whole lot more and you can count on it.

Tiger of Blackness: Explain to me…HOW CAN THIS BE A QUIFER WITHOUT QUISTIS???!!!

EverShadow: Who says she's dead?

Tiger of Blackness: She lives??!!

EverShadow: Maybe…maybe not. You know how I am. EverShadow signing off.


	11. We Quarrel Sometimes

EverShadow: I didn't know my last chapyter would affect all of you people so much!! I feel touched!!

Tiger of Blackness: Please tell me it was an act…just something you put on to tease EverShadow before shattering her heart…

EverShadow: I feel tears of my own forming…sniff…

Tiger of Blackness: I'm going to hurl.

EverShadow: Don't worry, this isn't done yet, not by a long shot. Anyway, enjoy…grabs a tissue On with the show…

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We Quarrel Sometimes

Seifer lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The light that streamed through the blinds, making stripes on his face. He rested his hands behind his head. He had spent most of the months before the funeral recovering from his injuries. He still remembered what had taken place that day.

Flashback

_"Seifer!" Quistis yelled running towards him. He could only stare wide-eyed and shocked as the Omega Weapon reared and a large energy ball. Suddenly, all the air rushed out of him as Quistis tackled him. She glowed blue, her blue magic reached a new point of power. The blue aura enveloped not her, but him as the Omega weapon fired. Quistis didn't have a chance to even scream before he lost sight of her. The shield held for most of the blast before finally giving in. He felt his body being torn apart, pain seared through him. Every pore on his body burned. His clothes burned and his Hyperion melted. But at last it was over. He had only experienced the remains of the blast. He slipped slowly into unconsciousness._

_ The next thing he knew was another bright light. An annoying bright light. He opened his eyes and peered around. His body ached and he found it difficult to move._

_ "You're finally awake." Dr. Kadowaki said, walking into the room._

_ "What…"_

_ "You've been in a coma for the last three months, teetering on the edge of death. Your body has been badly injured, maimed, burned, etc but you'll recover soon."_

_ "Quistis…" he whispered. It was even difficult to talk._

_ "Quistis is dead." And after that moment, the Seifer he knew, the Seifer everyone knew died as well._

Flashback end

Seifer sighed at the memory, no longer harboring any tears to shed. He had lived for Quistis so now…now did he have to die. No…he knew he had something else to live for. He sat up, placing his arms on his legs. He knew what he had to do.

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Squall and the others were having a hard time eating. With all the recent events that had happened, Quistis's death, the Omega Weapon on the loose, tensions were high and spirits were low.

"How's Seifer doing?" Rinoa asked. Everyone flinched at the name and Rinoa shrank back, feeling sorry that she even brought up the subject. Squall remained silent, fighting back the urge to just walk away. It was Irvine who finally spoke.

"He's been written off as unstable and an enemy of society. They gave him a small dorm and he hasn't done anything. He's barely eaten, he hasn't spoken, he's done almost nothing except sit there and stare blankly. He's a dead man." He replied.

"We have to do something. He can't go on like that, neither can we." Rinoa pleaded. Selphie snorted in disgust and threw down her fork.

"So you're saying that we forget all about Quisty and forgive Seifer and welcome him as one of our own? How can we forgive the man that killed our best friend?!" She demanded. Zell poked at his hotdog with a fork, not really wanting to eat anything, including his favorite food. Ayane placed her hands on his shoulder, trying to comfort him and he sighed.

"Selphie, you have no right to be saying that. He stabbed me for crying out loud!"

"He killed my friends in Trabia! He killed Quistis! How the heck can you forgive him so easily??!!" Squall stood up.

"I'm leaving. I don't want to hear you quarrel because I'm fucking sick of it! Would Quistis really want us to yell at each other? You guys are just plain…"

"You said it, Puberty-boy." Seifer walked towards them, waving a little. Zell stood up, wanting to pounce on him and beat the living daylights out of him. Ayane clung to his arm, knowing what he was thinking.

"And you would be here why?" Irvine asked, feeling no remorse for the man.

"I'm leaving."

"Good," Squall snapped. "We don't want to talk to you."

"I'm leaving." Seifer repeated, emphasizing the "leaving" bit. The message sunk in.

"Good," Squall said again. "We don't want you here."

"I don't belong here. I can't fit in. There's not one day that goes by without me hearing some brats walk by whispering about how idiotic I was. How selfish I was to save my own ass. I'm leaving."

"You can't just leave!" Rinoa protested. "Where would you go?"

"I'm a drifter by heart." He said, smiling ever so faintly. "I don't want to be some fucking memorial. I don't want to walk down the halls and have people say, 'there goes the man Quistis Trepe sacrificed her life to save.' I don't want that."

"Maybe you deserve it." Selphie snapped. "But I never want to see you again. Just leave now and be done with it. I hope you get eaten by a Behemoth."

"Love you too," he smirked. "But everyone blames me. They're probably right but I'll never find out just by sticking around here. There are too many memories."

"Good luck." Squall said, surprising everyone. "And let's hope Hell accepts you." Seifer waved. The cafeteria was still buzzing with talk but six people stood silent, watching as Seifer walked out of their lives.

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EverShadow: Enjoy?

Tiger of Blackness: No.

EverShadow: Remotely?

Tiger of Blackness: NO.

EverShadow: Ok…I see…I'll be going now. Well, next chapyter is going to get interesting, I guarantee it. EverShadow signing off.


	12. Voice of a Lost Spirit

EverShadow: Oh wow…I…I can't believe this. I might actually reach 100 reviews!!

Tiger of Blackness: Don't count on it.

EverShadow: Well, I see you all like this a whole lot more than I anticipated. In the beginning, I nearly gave up on this fanfic because it was going no where.

Tiger of Blackness: And how's that different? **Brings out sedatives** Alright then…time for your meds.

EverShadow: NOO!! MOOOMMMYY!! Wait, hold on. On with the show. MOOOMMY!!

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Voices of a Lost Spirit

            _It's kinda cliché to wonder where I am…but I guess I want to know…Seifer…where is he? I wonder if he made it out alive. Am I dead? Is this what happens when you're dead? All you think about are other people…how boring. Hey wait…isn't there some kind of visit from Hyne or something. I've been mostly good my life…mostly…well, there was that one time I snuck into the boy's locker room and stole boxers from each of their lockers and hung them up over the entrance. But that was because the boys made fun of me, said I was ugly and tomboyish. Too bad they became drooling heaps of goo at my feet later on. Ha…that was revenge enough. And there was that one time where I slipped a T-Rexaur skin in the teacher's desk and it began rotting. Ew…the smell was horrible. Not to mention that one time when I shoved Xu off a cliff and into the ocean. She never forgave me for that. And that one time when I stole all of Cid's cards and sold them in the cafeteria…wait, why am I thinking of this now. I've been a relatively good girl, do I have to dwell in my thoughts forever?_

_            Seifer…where is he? I've already asked that to myself but where is he really? I'm sure he survived…I put my entire life and energy into that shield but the Omega Weapon was stronger than ever…I doubt anyone can defeat it. Squall…I wonder how the others are doing…I wonder if Rinoa's all right. Seifer that jerk. How could he do something like that? But…with my death…I know they'll be sad. This is what I've always wanted, right? This is what I've wished for on every star possible. Salvation, peace, and end to all my troubles by means of death. But…I can't help but feel empty. I feel lonely. I want to go home. I guess you don't know what you have until you lose it. I had friends, that's what I had. And I had a man who loved me. Why didn't I realize that? It wasn't until I died that I realized that I really did love Seifer pretty badly. He can be a jerk sometimes but…but…he's the Seifer from my childhood nonetheless. I can love him, I do love him. It's a pity I had to die before I realized it. I guess everything comes clear when you die._

_            Huh…It's been a while. Is this death or what? I thought all the people who died before were supposed to greet you. You know, the golden gates, bright light, family who have passed away. I thought my parents would run at me with open arms. I wouldn't recognize them but still…someone should've greeted me and welcomed me somewhere, Heaven or Hell. Hopefully not Hell. Ah…maybe that's why I haven't seen Seifer. If he's dead, chances are he's going to Hell. Poor guy. Even if it is in the dreariest of infernos, I want to join him. I just hope he's alive and well. I wonder…_

_            What do you wonder Quistis?_

_                                    Who the Heck are you?_

_            What? Don't you know me? I'm only the great Hyne, ruler of all._

_                                    Har, har, very funny. You're not Hyne. Hyne doesn't talk like that. He's not supposed to be arrogant._

_            I'm not sure how to take that, Quisty._

_                                    Don't call me that._

_            Why not? I created you didn't I? No, really, I am Hyne. Who else would talk to you at a time like this? Santa?_

_                                    If I ever meet anyone, I must tell them that Hyne's a sarcastic humorous voice. Give me one reason to believe you._

_I can resurrect you?_

_                                    And why would you do that?_

_Um…got me. Well, here's the deal. You're not really dead._

_                                    Har har. I just love your sense of humor. If I'm not dead, where am I?_

_            I can't answer that! It's a secret. But anyway, you're just in a different place than death. Honestly…I'm not joking. You can take my offer or sit here forever thinking to yourself alone. Do you understand how boring that would be?_

_                                    Yes._

_            Well now that we're clear on that, do you want to return to life or not?_

_                                    I have a feeling that there's a catch, "Hyne."_

_            Smart girl. Yes there is a catch. Only your one true love can save you._

_                                    I feel sick to my stomach. Sooo many clichés here…_

_            What? I'm not joking either. Right now the only one capable of resurrecting you is the one that loves and believes in you the most. And I'm sure you know who that is._

_                                    Edea?_

_            Quistis, don't make me hit you._

_                                    Ok, ok. I was joking…well…maybe not but that's not the point. You're saying that an incompetent loser is supposed to save me?_

_            That's your one true love you're talking about._

_                                    It's true isn't it? Seifer's not exactly the brightest._

_            He's mourning your death. He had been mourning your death for months._

_                                    ……Oh. I really mean that much to him?_

_            Yup._

_                                    So what does he need to do?_

_            Good girl. Onto the procedure. Currently, your body resides in the Omega Weapon._

_                                    Ew…that's just nasty._

_            Be quiet please?_

_                                    Sorry._

_            You body is in the Omega Weapon. Seifer has to kill it. Now, the only way you can communicate with him is during the night, when he sleeps. He has to find the Omega Weapon and kill it. But that's not all…you only get a day to live before you actually die._

_                                    WHAT??!! YOU SERIOIUS?!_

_            Haha. You're so gullible when it comes to listening to me._

_                                    I'm disliking this version of Hyne._

_            What do you mean this version? This is the only version. It's been that way only people have glorified me too much. Back to the matter. After he kills it, he has to eat it._

_                                    Hyne…_

_            Fine. After he kills it, he has to retrieve your body and also your spirit. He has to basically come to this dimension and find you. But it won't be easy. There's also a high chance that all of this could damage your mind. If something wrong happens, you might as well be dead, you'd be nothing but a shell and your spirit would wander the planet, never being able to join your body. You'd be like a doll. There's also the chance that you might lose your memory. I'm not talking temporarily either. I'm talking forever. But then again you might not._

_                                                I'm amazed at how comforting you are._

_            Hey, I'm Hyne. I'm not here to sugarcoat things. So, will you accept or not?_

_                                                Yes._

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EverShadow: How was that? Interesting? QUSITIS LIVES!! Sorta…

Tiger of Blackness: I'm glad. I was almost getting sick of pounding your head.

EverShadow: The pain…the pain…

Tiger of Blackness: Suck it up.

EverShadow: Whimper…EverShadow signing off.


	13. Every Dog Has Its Night

EverShadow: I can't believe it…this is my most successful fic ever…

Tiger of Blackness: You still can't compare to the big boys though.

EverShadow: Still…so many people…WAAAAGGGH!!

Tiger of Blackness: **Hands her a chloroform covered tissue**. There ya go…

EverShadow: Thanks…Sniff…On with the show…wait…woozy..

Every Dog Has Its Night

            Seifer groaned and rested on the side of the railroad tracks. He didn't have enough money to travel by train so he was traveling on foot. And it wasn't the most comfortable way of traveling. He hoped that a train wouldn't come and run him over. He stared out into the mystifying sea, the sun just setting, creating a wondrous collage of colors and tones. He sighed, breathing in the heavy scent of water and salt. Sea gulls cawed and he let his shoulders slump.

            "Everyday I think about you." He said aloud. "Nothing has changed…I still miss you. I hoped that by leaving…I could heal but…it only gave me time to think. But I guess I have to come to terms with myself first." He sighed and clung to his arms, shaking a little as the breeze picked up harshly.

            _See, Quisty?  
                                    I guess you were right…he really does miss me…_

_            Quistis and Seifer, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, second comes marriage…_

_                                    Hyne…please…_

_            Spoil sport. Well, the sun's almost down. All you have to do is wait til he falls asleep. Then you enter his dreams and make him hot and bothered…_

_                                    Ew…_

_            Hehe…Well. Now we play the waiting game. Have fun…_

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            Seifer's eyes drooped slightly and he soon gave into sleep. Quistis saw her opportunity and slipped quietly into his thoughts.

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            _It was white in his dreams. It was the first time he hadn't had a nightmare. Seifer sat amidst the fog, resting. Quistis walked towards him, unsure of how to approach. Would he believe her? Would he push her away? His back was turning against her and she had the sudden urge to wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was alright. Instead, she stopped walking._

_            "Seifer…" She whispered in a cracked voice. Seifer whirled around and his eyes widened. But there was also fear in those eyes._

_            "You're just a dream…" He said, turning back around. She stepped closer._

_            "Seifer, it's me, Quistis. I'm not a dream. You have to believe me."  She pleaded._

_            "No…no…you're not Quistis. Quistis is dead. You don't exist. You're a figment of what I miss the most." He covered his ears._

_            "Seifer listen to me…I haven't got much time to be with you."_

_            "LALALALALALALA!!" he yelled, trying to block out her voice as well as fight back the tears in his eyes. She grasped his wrists and pulled them away. He shook her grip off and stood up._

_            "Just go away." He hissed. Quistis stood, staring at the ground._

_            "Seifer, do you love me?" She heard him take a sharp breath. There was silence for a while and Quistis feared that he still wouldn't believe her._

_            "I love Quistis Trepe more than anything in the world." He replied finally._

_            "If you love me…"_

_            "YOU'RE NOT QUISTIS TREPE!" He roared, turning around. There were tears running down the side of his cheek. "SO JUST SHUT UP!" Quistis took a step backwards. The words stung more than she thought it would've._

_            "If you love me…please…listen. I'm not dead."_

_            "Then where are you?" He put a hand on her cheek. "Where? I'll buy this. Just tell me where you are…" Quistis sighed in relief._

_            "I'm inside the Omega Weapon. Both my body and my spirit reside there. You have to kill it and find my spirit and reunite it with my body. Only you are capable of doing this."_

_            "Why…?" His voice was soft, sad and urgent. Quistis bit her lip. Did she love Seifer or was this just a one sided deal? She didn't understand the feelings that he had within her. "Look at me, Quistis." She did as he told. She gasped when she looked into his eyes. He cared about her, from the time she burned down half the orphanage and he had saved her, to the time he resided in the Garden, always fighting to get attention from her, to now. And those eyes unlocked something too…it unlocked her fear of loving ever again. "Why?"_

_            "Because I love you." She replied. Tears spilled over and he kissed them away._

_                                    Oh Quuuuuiiisstty…It's time to leave._

_            "Hyne…not now…" She begged._

_                                    No can do. The sun's coming up. Let's go. Sorry to break this romantic scene but hey…there's nothing I can do about it so yeah, let's go._

_            "What's wrong?" Seifer asked._

_            "I have to leave." She whispered, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. She ran and faded into the mist._

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            Seifer stirred from his sleep and looked around. Had it been a dream? No…he had to believe that it was Quistis. He stood up and looked at the rising sun with eyes clearer than they had ever been. It was the dawn of a new day and he had a new purpose now; to kill the Omega Weapon and rescue Quistis.

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Tiger of Blackness: **Seifer stands up all heroic looking**. Now to give him a gentle shove…

Seifer: What? WAGH!! **Splash**

EverShadow: Wow…talk about ruining the moment.

Tiger of Blackness: It was open…I just couldn't resist…

EverShadow: Grow up, will ya? So…how did you like it? Huh? Huh? EverShadow signing off.


	14. Info at Your Local Bar

EverShadow: So…I assume you all like this fic very much? I'M SO CLOSE TO 100 REVIEWS!!! HOLY GODS OF LIANE!!

Tiger of Blackness: As your friend said, watch it stop at 99 and never go on…

EverShadow: That would be a horror beyond all horrors.

Tiger of Blackness: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

EverShadow: You're creeping me out, Tiger.

Tiger of Blackness: Yes, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going to do what the darkness bids me to do.

EverShadow: ………On with the show…I'll be going…over there…right now.

Info at Your Local Bar

            Seifer made his way into a sleazy town and looked around. It seemed like a place he would fit in very nicely but he wasn't there to fit in, he was there to get information. Quistis hadn't told him where the Omega Weapon was, she probably didn't know so it was up to him to play the role of the hero and find out where she was. The only place that seemed to have any semblance of intelligence was the bar and he stumbled in.

            "What can I get you?" The bartender asked gruffly. Seifer walked over to the counter top. The bartender eyed his Hyperion warily. "I hope you're not here to start any trouble, buster."

            "I'm looking for the Omega Weapon. Have any of you seen it?" He asked.

            "We don't have any synthesize shops here. This town ain't fond of weapons." The bartender replied, obviously having no idea as to what the Omega Weapon was.

            "No! That's not what I meant!" Seifer slammed his fist against the table.

            "I've seen it." A faint whisper came from the dark corner.

            "Hey, Synk. Did you have too much to drink?" Another man asked as the speaker struggled to get up. The bartender made a move to help him to his feet.

            "No, I can get up by myself." He replied, putting up a hand to stop the bartender. He leaned against the wall and then took a deep breath before pushing himself to his feet. He looked Seifer square in the eye.

            "You've seen it?" Seifer asked, not caring whether it was the alcohol speaking or the guy.

            "Why are you looking for it? It's suicide." Synk replied.

            "It took something important from me." Seifer hissed, not caring to explain it further. The man chuckled.

            "Come on kid, let me show you something." The man stumbled out the door, teetering on the edge of falling. Seifer followed, slamming the door behind him. Synk led him up the street.

            "Where are we going?" Seifer yelled, running beside him.

            "You'll see." When they got over the hill, Seifer's eyes widened in shock. It appeared that a giant crater was ripped right into ground. People's bodies lay scattered around it.

            "It was made a few days ago. 'Course, we had no problem forgetting it. This town has a tendency to forget the things it don't like. The Omega Weapon descended into the crater, like it was going back to the hell it came from."

            "It was here?" Seifer whispered.

            "Yeah. I had heard stories about it but none of the stories said anything about it being able to speak."

            "Speak?" He repeated.

            "Yeah, said something about loneliness. Kept growling about how he finally had a companion to accompany it into the darkness." _Quistis…_Seifer thought bitterly and then jumped down to the nearest ledge. "Hey! Where you going? You're not really going after it, are ya?"

            "He took someone from me! I want her back!" He yelled back.

            "Hold up kid!" Synk shouted. Seifer paused, looking up at him. He climbed back up. The old man fumbled with something in his jacket. He put something heavy in Seifer's hand and he looked at it. It was a dark black stone.

            "What is it?" Seifer asked.

            "Light Stone." The man replied. "Should still work. I found it when I was a kid. It's going to be dark down there. Might as well have some light. But I can say, once you go back, you might never return."

            "I don't plan to if I don't find her." The old man laughed aloud.

            "What love will do to you." He shook his head. Seifer didn't see what was so funny but he nodded in thanks to him and then descended. Synk watched as Seifer stood at the opening of the black hole.

            _Now or never._ Seifer inhaled deeply. The hole seemed to want to swallow him up. _Pft. Quistis is down there you idiot. _Without another thought, he climbed into the darkness. Synk smiled.

            "Hey, he really is an idiot. If I were him, I would've just waited until the Omega Weapon showed up somewhere else. It's bound to after all. I have no idea what Quistis sees in him." Where the old drunken man stood, now stood a young, handsome Hyne. "Now to go tell Quistis that her true love really is a buffoon."

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            _Oh Quisty…_

_                                    Hyne? Where's Seifer? Is he going to be ok?_

_            I can definitely say that he's desperate to save you._

_                                    He should've called Squall and the others for help. He can't possibly do this by himself._

_            So…what do you think would look better on the headlines, "Brave Soul Dies Trying to Save his Beloved?" or "Idiot Jumps Into Black Hole and Dies a Stupid Avoidable Death?" or if he somehow does succeed, "Fool's Luck Does Exist."_

_                                    He just loves me is all._

_            Or how about this, "Instructor at Balamb Marries Former Sorceress's Knight?" That would make for some tabloid material._

_                                    I think, "Hyne Finally Shuts Up" makes the best title._

_            Your jokes wound me senora._

_                                    Really? Good._

_            Now if you'll excuse me, I must go see how your little boyfriend is doing if he hasn't slipped and fallen and died._

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EverShadow: I think my rendition of Hyne is one of the most beloved in the entire story.

Tiger of Blackness: That's cuz a sarcastic Hyne wasn't really the first impression on every body's mind.

EverShadow: I think everyone likes Hyne.

Tiger of Blackness: Yeah, cuz he's cool. Unlike you.

EverShadow: Your jokes wound me senora. BTW, can anyone guess where that line is from?

Tiger of Blackness: Do we care?  
EverShadow: Sigh…EverShadow signing off.


	15. We Lub U, Seifer

EverShadow: First let me apologize for the long two-three week absence. I had a lot of finals (urgh…don't want to know the results) and I've also had a cold and a fever for the past week so I wasn't feeling so good.

Tiger of Blackness: It wasn't pretty, let me assure you.

EverShadow: Yes, but Tiger was there the entire time to nurse me back to health!

Tiger of Blackness: She wishes. I was busy praying for her to lose her memory in the fever so that none of these fanfictions would ever be continued again.

EverShadow: Surprisingly, well, maybe not…none of you guessed where the quote, "Your jokes wound me Senora," came from. The answer is…bum bum bum! Azumanga Daioh volume 4! On with the show!

We Lub U, Seifer

            Seifer crawled through the dank and dark tunnel that the Omega Weapon had created. The light stone provided only enough light for Seifer to see a few feet in front of him. If the Omega Weapon was sitting right there, he wouldn't notice until he ran smack into it. He had his Hyperion drawn just in case such an occasion came up. He began to regret having descended alone. He alone was not meant for such a battle. But no, fool's pride and a strong desire to get himself killed just to play hero took over his mind and he had no intention of going back. He loved Quistis…but when did he begin to love her? He had crushes on her as a little boy. She was bossy sometimes but she also had a gentle, wounded side. She knew her parents weren't coming for her and that they were dead. She chose instead to take up the responsibility that Sis had but in the night, Seifer would always hear her crying in her sleep, or on the beach alone. He had been too shy and proud to comfort her, still convinced that girls had "cooties" but he did like her more than anyone he remembered. But that wasn't when it started…

_Obligatory flashback (A/N: Hehe…they are obligatory aren't they?)_

_            "What's the matter, Squall, too scared to fight? Huh?" Seifer taunted the ten year old Squall mercilessly. He pushed the brown hair boy against the wall. "Sis isn't going to save you now." Squall narrowed his eyes. Seifer had hit a nerve. Back then, they hadn't junctioned GFs all too often so the memories were fresh. And Seifer used that to his advantage. Squall let out an enraged yell and launched himself at Seifer, dragging him to the floor where they rolled around, trading punches and kicks._

_            Quistis, the new student, walked by the fight. She stopped in her tracks and turned her head to regard them. They seemed so familiar but she couldn't remember them all too well. She had heard the rumors about a young blond named Seifer, a rebel and a trouble maker they called him. She shook her head and moved to break them up._

_            "Stop fighting!" She snapped, wrenching them apart. Squall looked at the ground, his one eye bruised. Seifer wiped his cracked lip and head, staring at the other boy with malice._

_            "What's the matter? Going to let a stupid girl get in the way of our fight? And you, who do you think…" he stopped dead as he recognized who she was. His arms dropped to his side and he stared at her._

_            "Jerk!" She yelled. "What did he ever do to deserve your insults?"_

_            "I'm Seifer…" he said, hoping that she'd remember._

_            "Are you ok?" Instead of replying to him, Quistis turned to look at Squall. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he shrugged it off._

_            "I'm fine…" he replied stubbornly. "I have to be strong or Sis won't return…"_

_            "Sis?" Quistis faintly remembered that name but she couldn't remember who it was. She shook her head to clear away that thought. She had no desire to think about the past, especially after her adopted parents treated her so badly. "My name's Quistis, what's yours?" Seifer breathed in sharply. So it was her…but she didn't seem to remember either of them. His heart burned with jealousy as she tried to talk to Squall and not to him._

_            "Just get away from me!" Squall snapped, walking away. Quistis raised a hand to stop him but he ran._

_            "I guess it's just you and me," Seifer chuckled, trying to get her to remember. "Hey, Quisty…"_

_            "Don't call me that," she hissed and chased after Squall, leaving Seifer alone, sad and angry. She didn't remember and she chose not to try. Instead, she chose to pay more attention to Squall and a demon was born within Seifer, the demon that wanted to kill Squall._

_._

_._

            Years later, Quistis continued to treat Seifer like trash but no matter how much she ignored him for Squall, Seifer couldn't help but feel his old feelings grow. Even though he junctioned GFs, he never forgot that he loved her. But his love had been one-sided and that's when he resorted to Edea's help to rid him of Squall. Once puberty boy was out of the way, he was free to take Quistis for himself.

Obligatory Flashback End 

            Seifer cursed at himself for being so foolish. Maybe if he hadn't been so arrogant…maybe Quistis would've liked him more. But then again, he just wouldn't be Seifer without the arrogance. And that arrogance led him here. He stumbled and fell flat on his face, his Hyperion slicing him in the side but it did not pierce too deeply. Still, when he felt around, he could feel the blood seeping into his trench coat. The light stone tumbled out of his hands and he picked it up again.

            "Damn it…" He hissed in pain. Something up ahead moved and he froze. He held the light stone away from him, trying to see what it was.

            _Get out of there!_ A voice in his mind yelled. _Seifer!_

.

.

.

            _                        He's going to get himself killed! Hyne! You have to do something!_

_            It's not my problem. He's the one who chose this path…now he has to fight his way out._

_                                    Hyne! He's going to die! That's the…_

.

.

            "Ultimate Weapon!" He yelled. "Shit!" He dropped the light stone and the Ultimate Weapon charged, the scent of blood luring it towards him. "I guess the Omega Weapon wasn't the only Weapon that was reborn!" The tunnel was too narrow for him to avoid the oncoming blow. He blocked as best as he could as the Ultimate Weapon flung him aside. He groaned in pain as the wound in his side grew worse. His head hit the side of the wall and he slumped to the ground. He slowly got up as the Ultimate Weapon searched for its prey.

            "Firga!" He yelled as the giant ball of flame materialized at his hand and flew towards the Ultimate Weapon. It was a bad move. The spell didn't affect the Weapon and it only served to pinpoint Seifer's location. The Ultimate Weapon charged again and Seifer jumped to one side, bringing the tip of his sword hard against one leg. The Ultimate Weapon roared with pain and anger and knocked him again to one side. Seifer knew that he wasn't going to last very long if this kept up.

            "Ultima!" He yelled, hoping the spell would cause some sort of damage. It blinded the Ultimate Weapon for a moment and Seifer seized this chance to leap onto its back. It was no ordinary feat. It was something that only a crazed, adrenaline powered former knight could do. He hacked away at the Ultimate Weapon's neck and the Weapon swung around, hoping to knock him away.

            "Flare!" He yelled, casting the spell into the wound that he had created. The blast knocked him off and the Ultimate Weapon slumped, gravely injured but not yet dead. It kicked at Seifer, nearly bashing his skull in. Finally, he got to his feet, dazed and so did the Weapon. _I'm done for…_he thought as he supported himself using the wall. He had already traveled so far in, no one would find his body. He tried desperately to cast one last Flare spell to blind it. He succeeded and he ran for his life down the tunnel, hoping to come to the end. But the end was a good twenty feet up vertically. There was no way he could scale the tunnel. He had been stupid and ill equipped to fight the Ultimate Weapon, much less the Omega. _If I hadn't been such an idiot…I need puberty-boy's help. I need everyone's help. Idiot…arrogance…Quistis…I'm sorry._ The Ultimate Weapon roared as it charged with deadly intent.

.

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                                    _Hyne! Please! Please save him._

_            You're crying for him?_

_                                    Yes! Yes…please I don't care what happens to me. Save him! I beg of you…_

_            I'll need something of yours in return._

_                                    Anything!_

_            Alright…I need…Whisper whisper_

_                                    …Anything but that! Don't take that away from me._

_            It's your choice…it's either that or Seifer's life. You've got precious little time before he becomes nothing but a smudge._

_                                    Hyne…I was planning on giving it to Seifer…_

_            Time…Come on Quistis, chose…_

_                                    ………Fine…_

.

.

            Seifer closed his eyes as he met face to face with the Weapon. He turned his head the other way.

            "Come on kid, it's time we got you out of here." He opened his eyes a crack.

            "Synk…?" He whispered.

            "Yeah, sure, whatever." He replied. Seifer felt his eyes grow heavy and a bright light followed after. Then, all became dark as he disappeared with Hyne.

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Tiger of Blackness: ……what did Hyne want from Quistis?  
EverShadow: I dunno…hehe…

Tiger of Blackness: It's not what I think it is right?

EverShadow: I dunno…hehe…

Tiger of Blackness: EverShadow you perv! HOW COULD YOU!!

EverShadow: Du calme du calme…this is PG-13…don't worry about it. EverShadow signing off…well…unless I up the rating…


	16. A Meeting At a Time Like This

EverShadow: Well, I know all of you are _dying_ to know what Hyne asked for and this chapyter has some…interesting answers.

Tiger of Blackness: …………perv.

EverShadow: It's not what you think! Really!

Tiger of Blackness: Liar.

EverShadow: You'll all see what I mean. Hehe…On with the show.

A Meeting at A Time Like This

            "Hey, hey kid! You alright there?" Seifer opened his eyes a crack. "Hey! Someone get a doctor! There's a kid lying here." An old man with a long white beard peered over him. Seifer sat up. He instantly recognized the tall beautiful buildings, the strange technology, and the translucent streets that he could always count on to catch a peek of some girl's panties as she walked above him wearing a skirt. He was at Esthar.

            "What's going on?" He whispered.

            "You alright there boy?" The old man asked.

            "Yeah. How long was I lying there?" he asked.

            "Probably a day. Are you sure you don't need a doctor or anything?" Seifer stood up and clutched at his aching head. His Hyperion lay next to him and he picked it up. The last thing he remembered was Synk carrying him. What the heck was that guy doing all the way down in the pit? But he wasn't any normal human. Seifer looked back at the gaping hole at the end of the street. The Omega Weapon made that hole but this time he wasn't going to charge into it blindly. He had to go back and ask Squall, no matter how much he hated to admit it, for help. He took a couple of shaky steps before regaining his composure and then he began running, knowing that every second mattered.

.

.

            Squall lay on his bed while Rinoa idly ran her fingers across his hair. He sighed and closed his eyes.

            "You're worried?" She asked with a soft smile.

            "Not about Seifer. I'm worried about what will become of us without Quistis. I felt like we didn't do enough for her." Rinoa kissed his forehead.

            "I know. But we can't keep dwelling on the past. We need to look ahead. Quistis would've wanted it. She would've wanted us to be strong." She put her head on his chest. Squall's arms went around her protectively.

            "If you died…I wouldn't be able to go on. I'm wondering how Seifer can."

            "That's cuz I'm stronger than you are, Pubes." The couple jumped in surprise and looked at the man standing in their bedroom doorway.

            "What the hell? What are you doing back here?!" Squall demanded, getting to his feet.

            "Sorry to break up the romantic moment. I'm here on business but I guess no one missed me all that much." He chuckled. "And here I thought you loved me."

            "Seifer…I said I never wanted to see your face again. After you killed Quistis." Seifer took two large steps and came face to face with Squall.

            "Two thing, Pubes. It was the Omega Weapon that killed Quistis. Second, She's alive you bastard. She's freaking alive!" He hissed. Squall backed away, his face drained of color.

            "What? You're crazy…she died saving you."

            "That's what I thought too but she's really alive. She's inside the Omega Weapon. She came to me in a dream and told me all about it."

            "You're going to trust a dream on this?"

            "I'm trusting Quistis." Seifer spat. "I have faith in her. She really is in the Omega Weapon. I tried to rescue her by myself but I can't. I can't do it alone. I need your help." Squall had never seen him look so desperate.

            "You're crazy." He replied.

            "Maybe. But at least I've got something to do instead of wasting my life dwelling on the past. What if she's really alive? Besides, we all need to get rid of the Omega Weapon. Who knows how much damage it's going to cost? Trust me on this Pubes." Seifer pleaded.

            "No." He snapped. Seifer gritted his teeth and did something that shocked the other two. He got down on his knees and bowed his head.

            "Do you want me to kiss your feet? Do you want me to grovel?! Damn it I'm begging you for help on this. She's your friend too! Please. I'll do anything." Squall narrowed his eyes. Seifer really was a broken man. But he was also a very loyal one. He had sacrificed his pride.

            "I can't promise anything." Squall replied coldly. Seifer stood up and stared him in the eye.

            "Look, I'm asking this one favor. I'm asking that you, messenger girl, cowboy, chicken wuss, your girlfriend and who ever else wants to come help me slay the damn Weapon." He pointed at Rinoa. "If it were her, you'd be in the same position." He left the room and walked to the balcony where he slumped down against the wall.

.

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            Synk walked through the hallways of Balamb's dorm. As soon as he reached Quistis's instructor's dorm, he used his powers to open the door. He stepped inside, marveling at how they kept it in tact. He looked around and finally saw what he was searching for. He picked up the small moogle key chain and threw it in the air to catch it a couple of times.

            "I got what I wanted." He smirked and disappeared.

.

            _                        I didn't know that Hyne had a soft spot for moogle key chains._

_            What? They're adorable mind you._

_                                    I was going to give it to Seifer back when we were kids. I bought it for 15 gil but with my adoption…I forgot until now._

_            Yeah well, they don't make them anymore and I really wanted one._

_                                    It's special to me. But if it meant saving Seifer's life, then of course I agreed. _

_            You're boyfriend is stupid._

_                                    He's not my boyfriend…yet…and I will agree._

_            Oh no, don't argue with me, he is stupid._

_                                    Um…Hyne…I agreed._

_            Look, I told…oh…yeah. I knew that. Pft, why do you have to be so agreeable?_

_                                    ………_

_            Don't look at me like I'm crazy…don't…hey…stop that._

_                                    I'm staring at you…I'm staring at you._

_            Stop that. You're creeping me out._

_                                    It's about time I did some creeping out around here, Hyne._

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EverShadow: I'd like to thank everyone who has followed me thus far. But there's something important that I'd like to share with everyone.

Tiger of Blackness: You're dying??

EverShadow: Sorry, it's not that.

Tiger of Blackness: Darn.

EverShadow: This is the last update…

Tiger of Blackness: WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOO!!

EverShadow: That I will do this month.

Tiger of Blackness: ………darn.

EverShadow: I'm going off to camp for a month so this is the last update I'll do until August. Hopefully you people can live with it…don't hurt me. EverShadow signing off.


	17. Found

EverShadow: YAY! They have a computer here!

Tiger of Blackness: ………damn.

EverShadow: WHAAA??? Why are you here????

Tiger of Blackness: I'm a stalker…what did you expect?

EverShadow: Pft…you're contacting me through email. That's how you're here.

Tiger of Blackness: I miss you.

EverShadow: Really? Eyes get starry

Tiger of Blackness: I have just so much pent up anger and no one to release it on…

EverShadow: ………… on with the show…

Found

            "IF SHE'S ALIVE WE'VE GOT TO GO FIND HER!!!" Zell yelled. "Come on, we've got to go save her. Seifer may not be my favorite person but if he is even remotely telling the truth…"

            "Maybe he's tricking us." Squall replied bitterly. Zell looked at her pleadingly.

            "Come on! She's out there. I can feel it!" He begged. Squall had his hand on his forehead, trying to overcome the intense feelings coursing through him; regret, disbelief, distrust, relief. If Quistis was alive, there was no doubt that he would do anything within his power to save her.

            "It'll be like old times." Irvine tried. Selphie bit her lip.

            "I don't like Seifer either but I'm willing to trust him on this one. He's already been so broken up, what else does he have to torture us with? I mean, really, what if she is alive and every second we wait she's a second closer to disappearing forever? I'm willing to try anything at this point." She said with optimism. Rinoa smiled and nodded.

            "I'm really willing to try anything at this point as well." She agreed. The five of them stared at Squall who was obviously hating the idea of teaming up with Seifer. Finally, he let out an exasperated sigh.

            "Fine, we go." The others cheered in the middle of the hall, drawing looks from everyone around them.

.

.

            Seifer lay still against the wall, trying to remember the feeling of Quistis's lips kissing his. But no matter how much he remembered what it looked like, he could not remember what it felt like.

            _Don't worry,_ he thought to himself. _Once you save her…you can kiss her all you want until you practically memorize how it feels._ He smiled faintly at the thought and leaned his head back. Provided, of course, that Puberty-boy got his little band of merry men to join him. He imagined Quistis somewhere cold and lonely and just thinking about it made him want to go to her and wrap his strong arms to comfort her…to take her away. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and turned his head to see the five of them walking towards him with solemn expressions.

            "So, you made your decision yet?" he asked. His heart raged wildly in anticipation and his breath caught in his throat.

            "We don't like you very much." Squall began. "But we've decided that we're going to help you if only because Quistis is in trouble." Seifer shot to his feet and thrust a fist into the air. When he noticed that they were staring, he put his hand down and smiled.

            "That's great…"

            "Where did you see the Omega Weapon last?" Squall asked. "Surely in the time that you were gone you heard about it."

            "Well, last time I saw it, it ended up in Esthar. I came straight back after being pummeled by the Ultimate Weapon." He replied. Squall was shocked that he had come all the way from Esthar and also because the Ultimate Weapon was on the rage as well.

            "Esthar?" He asked in disbelief. Seifer nodded. "How did you survive?"

            "It's a funny thing, this drunk guy saved me. His name was Synk…and I have no idea what he was doing down there. He was…weird though…" Squall shook his head, not wishing to go into details.

            "Look, if the Ultimate Weapon has been reborn as well…then we've got a problem."

            "It's not my problem. The only problem I have is the fact that Quistis is trapped somewhere and I'm going to look for her." Seifer snapped. Squall sighed and rubbed his temples.

            "I'll make you a deal. If we help you go looking for the Omega Weapon and Quistis, then you have to help us kill the Ultimate Weapon." Squall ordered. Seifer growled and gritted his teeth.

            "Fine…but Quistis comes first." He stuck out his hand and Squall shook it rather roughly.

.

.

                                    _I just find it interesting that they agreed…_

_            Yeah. I half expected them to tear each other apart._

.

.

            Squall drew his gunblade and so did Seifer. They eyed each other with deadly intent.

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                                    _            HYNE!!! STOP MESSING WITH THEIR HEADS!!_

_            You're no fun. What do I do with all this power if I can't spruce things up?_

_                                                ……good…gods…_

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EverShadow: That was a more…interesting chapyter. But in all seriousness…things are going to get really dark after this.

Tiger of Blackness: How dark? As the shadows that roam the streets searching for prey?  
EverShadow: ……I'm just going to sign off now. EverShadow signing off.


	18. The Red Horizon

EverShadow: I'm very sorry for being so late in the entire updating thing. I've been lazy and busy when I'm not lazy.

Tiger of Blackness: (whispered) Liar…

EverShadow: SShhh!!! I have been busy, haven't I, Tiger? **Holds up Tiger's wok**

Tiger of Blackness: Wh-where did you get that? I could've sworn I had it in my paws…

EverShadow: Never underestimate me.

Tiger of Blackness: **Slices EverShadow in half…again**. What? I didn't quite hear you.

EverShadow: On with the show…medic…help…

The Red Horizon

"What's he moping about?" Zell hissed. All six of them were on a train headed for Esthar, where Seifer had been dropped off by Synk…or whoever he was since he was obviously not so normal. Seifer was sitting near the window, his back straight so that he looked attentive but his eyes betrayed that position. They were distant with sadness and the faint gleam of hope that now with a fully assembled and veteran team, he could finally rescue Quistis. Everyone but Squall glared at Zell for making such a stupid comment. He backed off quickly and sat on the bed, folding his arms. The others were scattered about the room, some propped up against the wall, some sitting on the couch. They were being silent for the most part because the situation did not call for anything but silence.

"Next stop, Esthar!" The automated voice broke through their thoughts. Seifer sighed and stood up, grabbing his gunblade in the process. He was the first one out of the room, not so much as even glancing at his team members. Squall gave him a look of disgust, hating how dead Seifer had become. He hated it only because it reminded him of himself when Rinoa had been taken away. They stepped off the platform and stared in awe at the gigantic technologically superior Esthar. Squall narrowed his eyes. This was where Laguna lived…his father.

It had come as a shock to him to know that he was not an orphan. Ellone had told him the news at their last gathering when Laguna made an appearance at the party right after Ultimecia was defeated. He had seemed so awkward when he approached Squall, laughing nervously before Ellone broke in and said, "Squall, Laguna is your father." She told him the entire story of Laguna and Raine, the part they didn't see in the flashbacks. And since then, they had not met at all. Maybe it was because he felt as though Laguna abandoned the two of them, left them in a world where all they knew was battle. At the same time, if he had not abandoned them, the Squall might not have meet Rinoa at all.

"Hey, pubes," Seifer snapped half-heartedly. "Let's go already." Squall felt Rinoa's hand slip into his, giving him a little comforting squeeze. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he realized that no one was watching him anymore, now they were judging Seifer Almasy. He knew one thing, there was something about Seifer that couldn't be uncovered even if one took a lifetime of trying.

.

.

Esthar. The largest city in the world, the most technologically advanced, the most cultured, the largest army. Possibly the greatest city that could only be brought down if all of the other regions united and it was led by a buffoon with a big heart. The idea was almost absurd that Laguna had taken his time to personally answer to everyone's problems. He would come home tired out of his mind, sometimes almost dead on his feet from running back and forth or making too many phone calls. Kiros and Ward were there to help him but Laguna did do most of the work. Now he had a bigger problem and for the first time since the Lunar Cry, the president of Esthar was no longer focusing on small little problems.

"Sir," Kiros entered his office. "We've got Rank 12 SeeD Squall at the entrance. He wishes to speak with you. With him are Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmett, Rinoa Heartilly, Zell Dincht and Seifer Almasy."

"Yes, let them in immediately." Laguna was shocked that his son had come. He thought that he would never speak to him again. In a matter of minutes, the entire team walked through the doors. Laguna was on his feet and staring slightly.

"Squall…" He whispered.

"President Loire." The formality of his voice wounded Laguna because instantly he knew that Squall wasn't there to chat with his old man. He sighed and cleared his throat. "We've come here under the impression that the Omega Weapon had passed through." His hurt was replaced by confusion.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Me." Seifer stepped up. "I've been following the Omega Weapon for some time now. Recently, I've lost track of it around here. If you've got any information as to where it went…please…tell me." Squall cleared his throat.

"The Omega Weapon…is that what it's called…I'm sorry, I don't know where it went. I've been busy trying to get the city repaired after it destroyed most of it. We've got casualties everywhere so please understand that I did not…"

"Wanting to know where the Weapon went, yes?" Odine barged in, making Kiros and Ward take a step back to avoid the door from hitting them. Zell groaned and slapped his forehead. He didn't like the crazy scientist very much. The last time they had met was under extreme circumstances and Odine definitely did not get to the point. They had been left with almost no time at all. Not that it mattered…the Mobile Suit 8 kicked them out anyway but Zell and Irvine had been left with a bad impression.

"Do you know where it went?" Seifer demanded.

"Impatient child, yes I know where it went and why it went." Odine snapped.

"Tell me!" Seifer made a grab at his shirt but Odine side stepped.

"We shall have a talk, yes? The Omega Weapon is back but it is very weak." _Weak my ass, _Seifer thought. _If it destroyed so much._ "I believe you have fought it in the Time Compression. The future. But that is in the future. The Omega Weapon is just being born now, and it is wandering, destroying."

"You're saying that this Omega Weapon is the same one we fought in the Time Compression, only it has just been born?!" Irvine repeated, trying to make sense of it.

"Exactly." Odine replied.

"Mega-bummer!" Selphie sighed. "We have to defeat it again?!"

"It didn't seem weak to me." Seifer interjected. Odine stared at him.

"You have encountered this Omega Weapon?" Seifer nodded. "Well, I have a theory. The Omega Weapon is very weak right now but it will take humans and monsters with incredible strength in magic and physical power. In time, it will consume enough so that it becomes as powerful as what you encountered."

"Like what Adel did to Rinoa?" Zell asked. Rinoa, Squall and Seifer winced at the memory. For Seifer, it felt like it only reopened the wound that he thought had healed. After all, it was he who sacrificed Rinoa to Adel.

"Yes. Let me finish!" Odine yelled. "Now, I believe that it has consumed at least one person to have caused such damage. It should be very easy to defeat if you find it. It was last headed in the direction of the Isle of Hell, where the monsters are very strong."

"Suppose that a human is consumed, is there a way that she can be returned?" Seifer asked tentatively. Once again the scientist stared at him and he smiled.

"You have lost someone?" There was a pregnant silence to answer the question and Odine nodded. "The Omega Weapon is a product of Time Compression. Perhaps if you beat it, a rip in time and space will open near it. If you enter, perhaps you will find who it is you are looking for." Rinoa and Squall bowed their heads. It reminded them of when Squall was lost in time and Rinoa went looking for him. Seifer nodded.

"That's good enough for me." He walked out of the room.

"Wait!" Selphie and Irvine chased after her. Squall stared coldly at Laguna while the president looked at the ground uncomfortably.

"Squall, I know you don't think very highly of me. I'm willing to bet that you don't like me very much for leaving you and Ellone alone. But after Raine died, I thought I would be ill suited to raise you, especially since Esthar made me their president. I made a mistake."

"It's fine." Squall replied with a shrug. "We got by ok."

"I'm sorry." Rinoa bit her lip and Laguna looked up at her, smiling. "You look very much like your mother."

"Thank you." She said softly. Squall and Rinoa began to leave when Laguna stopped them once again.

"Squall, if you ever have time, I mean, once you're done with the mission…maybe we could talk over a cup of tea or something?" Squall nodded, accepting his father's pitiful but well meaning invitation. The two exited the room while Kiros chuckled.

"Tea, Laguna? The boy's old enough to drink." Laguna laughed, feeling slightly relieved that everything seemed ok between he and his son.

.

.

Seifer stared into the red horizon, half expecting to see a shadow of a giant Omega Weapon in the distance. Instead, the view was not obscured by anything like it. He felt both thankful and sad that it wasn't. So long as he had something to chase for, he could always hope. But he wanted more than to hope. He wanted Quistis back. And if he couldn't get her back…

The red horizon shone on his tears.

.

.

.

Tiger of Blackness: So…there is so much here that could be made fun of.

EverShadow: Shut up. Anyway, I told you that the next few chapyters would be sadder.

Tiger of Blackness: I noticed that you didn't include Hyne and Quistis.

EverShadow: Well yeah, they're too funny for something like this.

Tiger of Blackness: Look, if that's what you consider funny, stick to your drama. At least it's melodramatic.

EverShadow: Stop teasing me…

Tiger of Blackness: Nope. EverShadow's a baby! EverShadow's a baby!

EverShadow: WAAAAAAHHH!!! STOP CALLING ME NAMES!! EverShadow signing off.


	19. No Comments from the Peanut Gallery

EverShadow: Sigh…have I lost all you reviewers?

Tiger of Blackness: Yup.

EverShadow: Be quiet now, Tiger, or I'll reawaken that dark, dark secret you have.

Tiger of Blackness: What secret?

EverShadow **coughcoughCIRAKcoughcough.**

Tiger of Blackness: Oh, it's ok, I killed him.

EverShadow: ……………oh. Ok, first before everyone reads this, let me explain that this chapyter is purely to make you laugh. I am insane to include it when things are getting so dark and depressing but hey, it popped up in my mind and why not include it. In short, this chapyter is just to make you laugh your heads off. Well…on with the show then.

No Comments from the Peanut Gallery

_Hyne?_

_Hello, Quisty, you called?_

_ Ugh. You're repulsive. It smells like you've been drinking._

_Oh don't worry, the great deity Hyne cannot get drunk after just 5 bottles of vodka and three shots of pure tequila and one glass of sherry. Usually it takes two glasses of sherry so I'm fine._

_ ………Hyne…you know that that's not natural…right?_

_So? How would you know anyway? You're just a meager human, less than a human considering your beautiful body is lost somewhere in the pit of the Omega Weapon's stomach. You're just jealous because I have a rather high alcohol tolerance._

_ Either way…whatever. Trust me, you've drunken enough alcohol for me to be able to smell you. And how many women have you hit on today?_

_Three…and a rather feminine looking man. Shudder shudder…_

_ I was joking about that. You're impossible. You're a drunk womanizer._

_What? A feminine man can look an awful lot like a guy after all that booze._

_ HA! So you do admit to being drunk!_

_No. I'm just saying that everything gets slightly out of focus. And on the topic of being drunk, I do recall that one time where you drank some "funny tasting cranberry juice" when you were what, fifteen? Now that's a story to tell._

_ ……please don't._

_If I do recall, you were with a bunch of your friends, Xu included. Of course it was really amusing after you decided to ski down the mud hill using two planks of wood wearing very little. And don't even make me mention your little liaison with the drooling idiot who never let you live it down and actually stole into the girl's locker room to find you and propose…_

_ ARGH! I had all but forgotten it and now you bring it back? Go away you drunk bastard._

_Hey now…no name calling, Quisty. Or else I'll visit Seifer myself…in his dreams…in your form…_

_ You wouldn't DARE…_

Giggle giggle…hehehehehehe. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ROAR! Woof…bark…meow…

_ You deranged son of a…_

_Speaking of bitch…I read your mind a little and I do like to add that you do love your bondage._

_ WHAT???!!_

_Oh yes…naughty, naughty Quistis. Thinking about Seifer that way._

_ I DO NOT!!_

_Deny it all you want. Maybe I ought to let Seifer in on your little "fantasies." No wonder you're so fond of your whip._

_ HYNE!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!_

_You can't kill me remember? I'm kinda…what's the word…IMMORTAL MAYBE???_

_Oooo trust me, there's got to be a way. And I'll find it and then you'll be in big trouble mister._

_BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_ You do realize that I hate that laugh of yours right?_

_………that hurt my feelings._

_ Good._

_I'm telling Seifer!!!_

_ Hyne!!! Stop no! Wait!_

_…_

_…_

Seifer Almasy sneezed rather violently. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What? Haven't you ever seen a guy sneeze before?" He demanded then turned his attention back outside the window. _That was odd…_He thought but he did not know the half of it…

…

…

…

EverShadow: Ok…now that that's out of my system…I'm sure I scarred your minds quite a lot.

Tiger of Blackness: What. The. Hell. Was. That?!!!

EverShadow: Sorry, I couldn't help it. Everyone just loved the Hyne and Quistis funny bits and I dreamt about this scenario so I just couldn't help it.

Tiger of Blackness: Never do this again.

EverShadow: No problem. Now I'll go back to the sad…sad…Seifer stuff. But if you want, I'll include another chapyter like this…only if you reviewers ask for it. EverShadow signing off. Humdedum dum dum…going to get my medication.


	20. One Hellava Time

EverShadow: Haha, I didn't think that I'd get so many positive reviews for that chapyter. I thought you people would've ranted and said, "That was so off the subject, you suck."

Tiger of Blackness: That was so off the subject, you suck.

EverShadow: Thank you Tiger, though that wasn't necessary…

Tiger of Blackness: Anytime. **Lights up a cigarette**.

EverShadow: GAAAAAHH!!! **Snatches cigarette away**. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHEN DID YOU START SMOKING?  
Tiger of Blackness: This summer…what?

EverShadow: NO! SMOKING IS EVIL!

Tiger of Blackness: So? Dang it, can I get that back??

EverShadow: NO! I'm throwing this out! On with the show!

One Hellava Time

_Seifer found himself chained down to a bed. _Aw hell no…_he thought. The door opened and his eyes expanded about three times. Quistis stood in the doorway, dressed in tight fitting and quite revealing leather, whip in hand._

_"Time to get what you deserve, bad boy…" She hissed seductively. Seifer gulped._

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGH!!" Seifer shot straight up and everyone around him jumped at least a foot in the air.

"JEEZ!" Zell yelled, putting one hand over his heart. "What the hell was that, man?" Seifer shook his head furiously.

"I need air." He said, getting up from the bed and walking rather quickly out the door. Everyone eyed each other in confusion.

Seifer breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the dream but it was rather disturbing to see Quistis acting and dressed that way. What in Hyne's name had possessed him to dream such a thing (A/N: Hehehe…naughty Hyne…)? The door opened again and Irvine walked out.

"You alright there?" He asked. "You scared the shit outta most of us."

"I'm fine, cowboy." He snapped.

"I can understand how you feel. If my Sephy was in Quistis's position…"

"But that's the point, she's not." He hissed dangerously. Irvine wasn't too good at conversing, especially with a man he not so fondly remembered as a bully.

"We'll find her." He said, clapping him on the back and returning to the room. The hotel's hallways were very faintly lit and when Seifer looked to his left, there was someone standing there, watching him. He felt shivers go up his spine and he stood to face him. The figure didn't turn away.

"What are you looking at?" The dead light above the figure suddenly flicked back to life for a brief second, illuminating Quistis's figure. She then turned and ran. "No fucking way!" He yelled, dashing after her. She almost flew down the steps and Seifer jumped from one flight to the other in an effort to keep her in sight.

"Why are you running?!" He yelled as she dashed into the dark streets of Esthar. "Quistis!" The figure stopped in the shadows and giggled. Seifer thought he could reach her until she took off again. She ran until she was out of the city. Seifer followed her, tripping and stumbling to her graceful almost gliding. Finally, she stopped and turned to him, smiling. He caught up, leaning against his knees, trying to catch his breath. He stood up and stared at her.

"I thought…I thought I had lost you…" She smiled sweetly.

"Silly. You'd never lose me." She walked over to him and held his face gently. "I'm scared."

"You?" He laughed. "Scared?"

"Find me." She whispered before letting go. Seifer tried to grab her wrist but his grip went through and he realized, he hadn't even felt her soft hands touch his face.

"Quistis…" he whimpered as she faded from view. "I promise."

…

…

Sniff. Seifer… 

_Quistis? You ok?_

_What do you care you bastard?_

_Quistis…it's going to be ok…_

_Since when did you get a sense of sentimentality?_

_I've always had it. I just don't exercise it enough._

_You've never loved, you womanizer._

_……I wouldn't say that Quisty……_

_Hyne?_

_You know, I always had this dream of becoming a knight. When mankind was created, I ended up living with them, as one, someone who seemed normal. I ended up taking care of this young woman. We traveled everywhere, helping people, she was beautiful…but you know what's funny? I can't remember her face…_

_…_

_As to be expected, she and I fell in love on our journeys. Then one day, she came to me with those sad eyes, those eyes are all I remember about her. I can't remember anything, her voice, her face, her smell, anything…but those eyes. She was crying and when I asked her what, she told me that she was going to have a child. Not just one but three. Triplets. Of course, I was hysterical, in a good way of course but then I realized that my children would have my powers...and you do remember back then people burned anyone who was believed to have magic in them._

_Yes, that was before humans realized they could harness the power for themselves._

_Quite right._

_Is that why sorceresses are called Hyne's daughters?_

_I suppose…but of course, back in those days, women died frequently during childbirth. She was no exception. I was left with three daughters and the burden of having to raise them and then breaking the news to them that they were considered evil by society._

_What happened to them?_

_I never did tell them. They found out themselves. But they lived life as ordinarily as possible. Their powers were passed down to their children. You know the rest._

_Wow…that's a story I haven't heard before. Can I teach it in my class?_

_Sure, if you want to be known as "Quistis Trepe, prodigy and drug addict." Seriously, people would think you were crazy._

_You're right…thanks Hyne…_

…

…

Seifer walked back to the hotel and the group was outside, almost ready to form parties to search for him.

"Where were you?!" Squall demanded.

"What's the matter, pubes? You get concerned? I went out for a walk is all." He sneered. Selphie pointed to his face.

"What's that on your cheek?" He brought his leather glove up to his face and wiped whatever it was away. He looked at it. It was a tear.

"Sweat." He replied, walking back into the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I see a bed call…"

"Seifer." Squall stopped him.

"What is it now? You wanna read me a bedtime story?" He snapped.

"We found out where the Omega Weapon is…" And before anyone knew it, he grabbed his weapon and urged everyone out.

They hopped aboard the Balamb Garden.

"It's finally been spotted on the Island of Hell. Odine was right."

"That old coot was right?" Selphie asked in disbelief. "What's this world coming to?" Seifer said nothing. Instead, he marched beside Nida.

"Can you take us there?" He asked.

"Um...no can do. The Balamb Garde isn't equipped to scale cliffs." Nida replied apologetically.

"That's where my baby comes in." Zell said, earning a rightful stomp on the foot by Selphie.

"He means my baby." Selphie stated. "You've seen the Ragnarok, correct?" Seifer shook his head.

"Well then by all means we've got to show the guy!" Irvine said.

"He'll taint it with his evilness." Zell muttered. Selphie couldn't say anything. As much as she hated the guy, she wanted Quistis back as much as possible, even if that meant having Seifer on the team.

"Make no mistake, Seifer." She warned. "If you so much as look at anyone wrong, I'm going to make you wish it was you the Omega Weapon had taken." Seifer backed off under the pint sized glare. He knew it was because of his involvement in the missles that had destroyed her home.

"No prob..." he said and Selphie nodded.

"Good. Nida, please take us to Fisherman's Horizon. I think that's where we last parked." She said. Nida nodded and the set course.

"Woah..." Seifer thought as he gazed at the giant ship. He had heard that a ship had crashed in the Lunatic Pandora but he never thought the ship would look so amazing. The eyes of the ship almost look alive and disapproving of him as he neared.

"Wazza matter?" Zell asked sneakily. "Afraid she's gonna eat ya?"

"Pft, you wish, Chicken-Wuss." Seifer sneered and resumed his normal pace into the hanger of the ship.

"You sure? Wait til she flies." Zell continued as he went up to the elevator proudly. Seifer let out a rather distastful snort. The world looked even better from the bridge. He couldn't help but marvel at the interior of the Ragnarok. He hadn't been in a ship quite like it before and he felt like the ship could take on anything in its path. He felt the pride radiating from the ship, the danger it had faced and lived. He smiled but not for long.

"Get ready!" Selphie yelled. Everyone but Seifer knew what to expect and he fell flat on his back as the Ragnarok shot off. For a minute he lay stunned and Zell stood over him, a satisfied smile on his face.

"First time, Seifer?" He mocked. "Can't take the pressure?"

"Shut up." He snapped, getting to his feet. For about forty minutes, the gang did nothing but sit around. Some of them slept and others held hands (Rinoa and Squall) for comfort. Seifer paced around inpatiently.

"When the hell are we going to get there?" He demanded.

"Shut up, Seifer. We're almost there." He peered out of the window, the glass fogging up.

"Hey! Get your ugly face away from there! You're tarnishing the glass!" Zell yelped.

"Overprotective mother." Seifer muttered as he walked away. But as soon as he did, he shot right back. "THERE! THERE IT IS!" He yelled, pointing. Irvine woke up and everyone crowded around the window. The Omega Weapon stood on the island, swooping up the fleeing monsters and devouring them greedily and messily. Body parts, malboro tentacles flew everywhere. It made everyone sick to see it.

"Take us down." Squall ordered. Selphie lowered the wheel slowly. The Omega Weapon saw the ship going towards it and it opened its mouth to let out a white beam.

"SEPHIE! EVADE!" Irvine screamed. Selphie banked left but the beam had struck. The Ragnarok, ablaze with flames, pitched forward in the sky...

…

…

…

EverShadow: Cliffhanger! The fight with the Omega Weapon is coming up.

Tiger of Blackness: WHICH MEAN THIS FIC IS ENDING!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!

EverShadow: Um…no. I've got other plans. I just don't want to draw out the quest too long.

Tiger of Blackness: Awww…

EverShadow: I've got a whole lot more conflictions. After all, Seifer and Quistis are one big confliction so, just to give you a heads up. EverShadow signing off.


	21. To the End of Time and Space Aka: For Qu...

EverShadow: Yep. The long awaited chapyter has arrived. This'll be the first of 3 parts of the end...

Tiger of Blackness: WAHOO!!

EverShadow: ...of the Omega Weapon. Tiger, did you listen at all when I said that there was going to be more?

Tiger of Blackness: More? Huh? What?

EverShadow: Apparently not. Well, on with the show.

The Journey to the End of Space and Time

(Aka: For Quistis: Part 1)

The Ragnarok descended upon the island at too fast a speed to be healthy for any of the occupants on board. Selphie screamed as the controls exploded. Irvine all but jumped in front of her to shield her from some of the blast. Seifer felt nauseous and he fell to his knees.

"WE'RE GUNNA DIE!" Zell yelled, taking the secondary controls. He pulled up as hard as he could, the muscles in his neck and arms straining.

"ZELL!" Squall shouted, holding Rinoa.

"I'M TRYING BOSS-MAN!" He shouted. Seifer stood up. He wasn't going to die, not when he was so close to Quistis. He seized part of the controls and pulled back with him. The Ragnarok's fall slowed down a little before crashing into the ground. Everyone groaned simultaneously, having hit at least one appendage on part of the Ragnarok.

"Are we ok?" Rinoa asked, getting up.

"Motherf-gingsonofabeotch..." Zell muttered as he got up.

"I think so...something knocked a few screws loose up there though..." Selphie said, rubbing her head.

"As if they weren't knocked loose before?" Irvine chuckled, receiving a smack atop the head. Seifer looked around. The lights in the Ragnarok returned when the back up power kicked in and when he saw what loomed outside, he very nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Hey, I'd love to rejoice our getting out of this crash in one piece but..."

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Selphie yelled as the Omega Weapon's giant claw descended upon the Ragnarok. Seifer flung himself to the floor as did many others. The roar that followed was nothing short of deafening as the Ragnarok was heaved upwards like a toy. Even though the ship was bigger, the Weapon had no trouble lifting it above its head and shaking it around. Seifer turned around just in time to see Zell grow green.

"NOT NOW CHICKEN-WUSS!" Seifer warned. Squall stood up and tried to steady himself.

"Seifer, Irvine! Get up!" He ordered.

"What are you going on about, Pubes?!" Seifer shouted, his bravado returning and all sorrow forgotten due to their current situation.

"Just get up!" Squall shouted. Seifer scowled and stood up, shaking as the ship lurched left. Irvine balanced himself on his gun. Squall climbed over the window and looked down at the Omega Weapon's head.

"Don't worry, my baby..." Zell cooed, petting the floor. "We'll go down together." Selphie stared at him, walked over and hammered him on the head.

"Don't go saying that now!" She snapped.

"You see the eyes?!" Squall demanded. Seifer's look of confusion turned into a smirk as he drew his Hyperion.

"I get you now, Pubes." Irvine cocked his gun and smiled too.

"On the count of three! One, two, THREE!" All three of them fired through the window of the Ragnarok, directly at the Omega Weapon's eye. All three bullets made direct contact and it screeched in pain, throwing the Ragnarok aside.

"Everyone out!" Squall ordered, going to Rinoa's side.

"Squall..." She whimpered, looking down at her leg. Squall's eyes went wide in shock. Her leg was broken and white bone protruded from the skin. "Just get going..."

"NO!" He lifted her up.

"Come on Pubes! It's really pissed now and it's headed straight for us!" Seifer shouted. Squall carried Rinoa on his back and ran towards the hangar.

"ARGH!" Zell screamed as the Ragnarok took another tumble. "Get that damn door open!" The hangar had been bent shut and there was no way out. Even worse, the could feel the Ragnarok being lifted again, this time, to be smashed into pieces or blown up or disintegrated. Irvine loaded a pulse bullet and fired over and over. Zell tried to pound it open while Seifer looked for another way.

"How's Rinoa?" Selphie asked as she cast another cure spell.

"She's gone unconscious, probably from the pain..." he replied.

"We got it!" Irvine whooped as he gazed at the gaping hole that his hard work had done. Zell jumped through, followed by Seifer.

"Come on, Pubes!" he shouted as he disappeared through the hole. Selphie helped put Rinoa on her back.

"Let's go." Irvine said, putting an arm around her. Selphie looked up at him and smiled gratefully. Squall and Rinoa went through and just as Irvine neared the edge, the Ragnarok gave another lurch. He fell through but Selphie slid and smashed her head against the wall.

"SELPHIE!" He screamed hysterically, grabbing hold on the edge of hole. He pulled himself up and looked at her. "Come on...get up..." Selphie lifted her bleeding head.

"Irvy..." she whispered, smiling even though the blood was pouring down her face. "I..." That was the last he heard from her as the Ragnarok pitched forward and he lost his grip, falling to the ground with a resounding crunch. He could only stare in horror as the Ragnarok flew through the sky, hitting the ground with a giant thump and crunch. Small but consequential internal explosions followed.

"NOOOO!" He screamed, trying to get up but only succeeding in crawling forward a few places. "NO NO NO NO!" The others went silent. He yelled wildly. He turned his attention to the Omega Weapon. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He got to his feet, and ignored the pain, charging blindly at the Weapon.  
"STOP!" Zell yelled. Irvine at the Omega Weapon, firing shots as he went. The Weapon merely swatted at them as if they were flies or bees.

"YOU BASTARD!!" Irvine fired off his hyper shot, inflicting minimal damage.

"Cowboy, you won't be able to take him on like that!" Seifer snapped.

"It doesn't matter now..." He shouted back. One sweep of the Omega Weapon's claw sent Irvine flying through the air. "You guys, get him while I distract him!"

"You idiot!" Zell shouted. "Get back here and wait until we regroup! You can't do anything!" Blood leaked out from Irvine's teeth as he coughed.

"Shit..." He hissed as he reloaded his Exeter. Seifer scowled and jumped into combat as well. He sliced at the Omega Weapon's side but the Hyperion merely scratched the surface. Zell, all but blinded by rage, gave an animalistic roar and flew at the Weapon, doing a Meteor Strike in the process. Squall set Rinoa down gently and drew his gunblade, rushing up and slicing. Irvine did a fairly good job of getting the Omega Weapon's attention, blasting shot after shot into its face. But even that wasn't enough to do significant damage and he was down to his last pulse bullet. In order to do any sort of damage at all, he would have to fire it at point blank.

"So be it!" He charged forward, loading the bullet into his gun. _I can't waste this..._he thought. The Omega Weapon fired a beam out of its mouth, missing Irvine but catapulting him away by the explosion. Intent on finishing its annoying prey, it charged, oblivious to the attacks of the other three.

"Catapult me!" Seifer ordered, turning to Zell.

"What?!" He demanded, running after the weapon.

"Put your hands out and give me a lift!" Zell did as he was told and Seifer stepped into his hand. The martial artist threw him up at the Weapon and he landed, though not very neatly.

"Damn!" He hissed as he tried to get a good grip on the Weapon's body. He thrust his Hyperion into its body and pulled himself up.

"SEIFER HURRY!" Zell yelled as the Omega Weapon neared the struggling body of the fallen cowboy. Either way, it was too late. The Omega Weapon made a noise akin to cackling and stomped heavily on the cowboy. But at the last minute, a blue aura surrounded him. Everyone turned to see Rinoa conscious for a second, hands stretched and then she fell back again. The three froze in horror when they turned around. The protect hadn't been enough. Irvine's body now lay crushed underneath the massive weight of the weapon. Blood spewed from his lips.

"You gotta be joking me..." Zell whispered in disbelief. "No...no way..." Irvine coughed and he put the Exeter to the Omega Weapon's leg. For once in his life, he couldn't think of anything smart to say so he fired and its leg exploded. The Weapon had tried to back away but now pitched forward, landing on the ground with only three legs left. Seifer jumped before he was crushed under while Squall and Zell rushed over to Irvine's side.

"Find...Sephy...she could still be alive...don't wanna give you false hope though...I doubt it. But still, find her." Irvine whispered.

"Phoenix down, cure, full-life anything!" Zell yelled in a frenzy, going through all of his spells and items.

"Save 'em." Irvine said. "Just...leave them for...yourselves."

"Come on, Selphie will be waiting for you when she wakes up." Squall said.

"Maybe...maybe not. Either way...if she is alive. Zell, I taught you everything I know about women."

"Sure did buddy." He replied, eyes tearing despite himself.

"So you'd better hook up with that hotty in the library, you hear?"

"Look, cowboy, you better live. Your girl's gunna be awful sad when she wakes up and you're not there. I for one think I have a better chance of surviving this encounter than living through a depressed Messenger Girl." Irvine chuckled.

"I'm sure she'll....turn out ok..." He closed his eyes. "I'm gunna sleep now..." The air was filled with silence until Zell, the most emotional of them all, screamed to vent his anger and began pounding the ground. Squall stood up and sighed while Seifer shook his head.

"Save it." He snapped to Zell. The martial artist looked up at him with murderous intent. "We'll need your anger, Chicken-Wuss. We ain't done yet." Seifer looked over at the Omega Weapon as it tried to get up.

"Bring it...I'll smack it so hard..." He promised. Squall swung his gunblade, more than ready to avenge his fallen comrades.

"For Quistis?" Seifer asked.

"For Quistis." Squall and Zell said at the same time.

-

-

-

-

EverShadow: Aren't I evil?  
Tiger of Blackness: ...YOU KILLED TWO IN THE SAME CHAPYTER!!

EverShadow: Who said I killed them...who said I didn't...BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Tiger of Blackness: Irvine's crushed, Selphie's probably dead!! YOU ARE EVIL!!! EVIL!!! I HATE YOU!!

EverShadow: Teehee. Anyway, this is the end of part 1 of 3. And as to why I took Selphie out...I kinda realized that in almost all the fanfictions I've read, it's either Rinoa or Quistis that get mortally injured/killed. So I figured, go for Selphie...but it's a nice cliffhanger no? HAHAHAHA!! EverShadow signing off.


	22. This will go OUR way Aka: For Quistis, P...

EverShadow: And now, for some more of what you bloodthirsty people want!!

Tiger of Blackness: ……

EverShadow: ……WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH TIGER AND WHO ARE YOU? I like you a whole lot better though…

Tiger of Blackness: Shut up…

EverShadow: Aw…come on…what's wrong?

Tiger of Blackness: Just go on with the story…it doesn't matter anymore…

EverShadow: OK…On with the show…OOOOHHH TIIIGGEERR…

This Will Go OUR Way

(Aka: For Quistis: Part 2)

Seifer swung his gunblade with every single ounce of strength he had in his body and lodged the blade deep into the arm of the Omega Weapon. The crippled enemy waved his arms and Seifer clung on frantically.

"COME ON CHICKEN WUSS!!" He yelled.

"Just a little more…" Zell hissed, ignoring the comment. "NOW! ALEXANDER!" The giant armored GF came into view, shooting thousands of shiny lights into the sky. Seifer jumped away just as the beams descended. The area the Omega Weapon stood in was completely decimated. The three of them watched the dust float.

"Well?" Zell asked. Suddenly, a claw swooped through the cloud and sliced at them. They all dodged to once side. The Hyperion came close to shaving Seifer's arm off.

"My baby…" He said, picking it up and swinging it.

"No way…that was a direct hit!" Zell shouted.

"You do remember the last time we fought right?" Squall asked. "Well obviously it's not going to do sh-" He was cut off in mid sentence when a beam knocked him squarely in the chest. He fell back.

"BOSSMAN!" Zell shouted. Seifer cursed and blocked another beam.

"I'm ok…the protect absorbed most of the blow…" Squall groaned, getting up.

"Told ya!" Seifer boasted. Squall didn't want to argue now. The Omega Weapon tried to get up and stumbled sideways. Squall's eyes wandered to what was in its path.

"RINOA!" He ran towards her fallen figure, trying desperately to reach her before she was crushed. A giant leg fell on her figure and his eyes opened as he let out a strangled sob.

"SHUT UP!" Seifer said through clenched teeth as he stood above her, holding the flat edge of his Hyperion up to the foot of the Omega Weapon. "You owe me…big…Pubes!" He forced the Weapon away. "Learn to run faster." Squall rushed over to her side and grabbed Seifer by the collar and looked into his blue eyes with intenseness that could not be matched.

"Seifer, I swear to you, whatever you need I'll attend to it, big or small."

"I'll hold you to that, Pubes." Seifer smirked before Squall realized that it may not have been such a good idea. "Maybe I'll make you prance around in a clown suit at me and Quistis's wedding…" The idea appalled him, even more so that he mentioned a possible wedding.

"Cut the chat…" Zell warned as he ran over to them as well. The Omega Weapon stood up again, the one leg blasted by Irvine still bleeding.

"Come on…let's not let their sacrifice go to waste…" Seifer said, nodding to the fallen body of Irvine and the all but ruined Ragnarok. Squall and Seifer charged, Zell drawing Ultima and casting it. The two gunbladers struck at the same time, synchronizing their movements unconsciously. Where Seifer dug into one leg, Squall dug into the other, when he cast meteor, the other cast flare. Zell watched a little in awe at their movements, after all, they had trained together for quite a while but he had never anticipated this.

"You're good, Pubes."

"…Whatever." Squall replied, ducking another swipe.

"You and I ought to spar in front of our girls to show them we're manly. Of course, Quistis will be proud of me when I win and you can have Rinoa comfort you on your loss." Seifer took the opportunity when the Omega Weapon fell to jump on its back. Squall followed a little behind.

"DIE! YOU! SON! OF! A…" He hit the Weapon's neck repeatedly, inflicting some damage but not enough. Squall helped but the Weapon retaliated by getting up with new found strength and throwing them off.

"Float!" Zell yelled, finally able to use his double cast. The two stopped right before they hit the ground but the Omega Weapon had turned around, ready to kill them.

"Aw…shit…" Seifer cursed. But that wasn't the worst of it. The Weapon roared and several white portals materialized on the ground before them. Dark, shadowy malboros, blue dragons, ruby dragons and other different kinds of monsters appeared there, lumbering towards them.

"SHIT! IT'S CREATED A WHOLE FRIGGEN ARMY!" The martial artist shouted, his eyes wide with horror. Squall and Seifer stood up, unsure as to what to do. They were all going to die…these monsters were going to get them.

Suddenly, several missiles slammed into the ground and some ended up hitting the Omega Weapon. The three looked to the sea where they saw the Balamb Garden nearing the cliffs of the island.

"FREAKING A!" Seifer blurted.

"We got you covered!" SeeD started jumping from the ship to the island, some barely making it.

"Xu?!" Squall asked.

"You didn't think we wouldn't try something to save our beloved Instructor?" She asked. "Cid approved the attack immediately once he found out."

"Look, thanks." Seifer said. "But the Omega Weapon's mine. These two can help but you just take care of the monsters ok?"

"Stop being such a conceited prideful bastard."

"Nope!" Seifer smirked and charged through the enemy lines. The Omega Weapon was barely getting up when Seifer thrust his sword into the Weapon's side.

"Irvine needs help right away!" Squall ordered, pointing to the body.

"Get him to Kadowaki!" Xu ordered the nearest SeeD.

"Yes ma'am!" He said, running to get him, backed up by two other SeeD.

"There's another one in the ship…Selphie…she's in the hanger! And Rinoa too! Don't forget Rinoa!" Squall added. Xu looked to a group of SeeD to her right and nodded. They rushed towards the Ragnarok. Xu turned back.

"I hope we're not too late…" She whispered.

"Thanks." Squall said, saluting. Zell did the same and they chased after Seifer. Even as they ran past the monsters, they could already see the casualties. Many of the SeeD were new and inexperienced, getting cut down at every turn. Even the veterans were having a hard time sustaining their party and fighting at the same time.

"Squall…"

"This is their duty." He replied. "We must hurry."

-

"YOU GIVE HER BACK!" Seifer yelled, sticking his sword into it over and over again. Squall and Zell arrived just in time to see him get knocked away by a Behemoth. Seifer stood up, almost glowing but not in the same light as if aura had been cast. It was light golden. "No way, you've just made one hell of a mistake!" Seifer sliced right though the Behemoth and dug his blade even deeper, sending a flare down the tip to explode within the Weapon.

Everything went in slow motion after that. Time began to slow down, people fell and each individual drop of blood could be seen clearly.

_I'm here! _Quistis shouted. The time stop was only for a moment before everything began again. Seifer dropped his gunblade and fell to his knees, weak as a newborn.

"Did I do it…?" He whispered, looking at the still body of the Omega Weapon. There seemed to be no movement. On top of that, the monsters the SeeD were fighting vanished completely.

"WOAH! GO SEIFER!" Zell shouted abandoning all hatred he had for the man.

"You watch closely?" He asked. "That's how a real man fights." The hatred came back but he still couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Get all the wounded into the Garden!" Xu ordered.

"We found her!" The team that had gone after Selphie shouted. The three turned to watch as they brought her mangled body back. "It doesn't look good." Xu composed herself.

"Regardless, bring her to Dr. Kadowaki. Hurry! There may still be time!"

_Time…_Seifer thought and his head snapped back to the Omega Weapon. He stood up, leaving his Hyperion still embedded in the Weapon. He looked around.

"Congratulations." A familiar voice said. He turned around in disbelief. Synk stood near the Omega Weapon's mouth. "You accomplished what I never thought possible, even if you did have some help…"

"Who are you anyway?!" Seifer demanded, running towards him in an attempt to grab his collar. Synk sidestepped easily and Seifer fell forward onto the ground. "Look, there's a lot of stuff you need to do." He touched the Omega Weapon's body and whistled. "Man! I thought you were a goner for sure."

"Many people did die." Seifer replied getting up and standing straight, tall and proud. Synk raised an eyebrow.

"Well, well, for once you look like the knight you were meant to be. Come on, your princess awaits after all." He said, stretching out his hand.

"HEY!" Zell shouted. "Who are you?!" Synk turned around and winked at the two baffled SeeD.

"I'm a knight too. One who knows all to well the troubles this guy is going through." Right after he said that, the two of them disappeared.

-

-

-

EverShadow: Thus concludes part 2.

Tiger of Blackness: …eh…

EverShadow: Come on…tell me!! TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!!

Tiger of Blackness: I'm going out for a walk. See ya.

EverShadow: Eh?! What? Wait! Um…EverShadow signing off. WAIT FER ME TIGER!!


	23. One Day, My Knight Will Come Aka: for Qu...

EverShadow: Dear "concerned reader":

Tiger of Blackness: FU.

EverShadow: Woah. I wasn't going to say that.

Tiger of Blackness: Well I did and that makes me feel so much better.

EverShadow: Uh…ok…well in any case. What I was going to say was that if you wish to criticize my work, or…strangely command me to do unspeakable deeds, please, feel free to include them but be sure to explain where I went wrong and please don't just say, "Because it sucks." That's not a very good reason.

Tiger of Blackness: Immature little bastard/bitch.

EverShadow: Tiger…calm down, it's not like it hasn't happened before.

Tiger of Blackness: Pft.

EverShadow: Yeah, feel free to please include the ways in which I can improve, criticism is widely encouraged. Just not…strange comments/unnecessary comments that benefit to the mentality of a preteen who thinks he is all that and a bag of chips. We all know how annoying that kind of person it. On with the show.

One Day, My Knight Will Come

(Aka: For Quistis: Part 3)

Seifer landed on his face in the middle of nowhere. He stood up and looked around, wondering exactly where he was.

"Welcome to Time Compression." Synk appeared nearby. Seifer drew his gunblade.

"Who the hell are you? No more lies! I want to know the fucking truth!" Synk laughed and transformed. His old, bearded face became young, blond and handsome. His ragged fishermen clothing turned into white and gold robes. He stood, a seemingly holy aura surrounding him. Seifer let his gunblade fall.

"Woah." He said. "You're…you're Hyne?"

"The one, the only." Hyne laughed.

"But you…you…" It all made sense now though. Synk had never been ordinary, he was always at the right place at the right time. "What do you want?" Hyne shrugged.

"Just a test of your love. Er…yeah…and a moogle keychain, long story." Seifer stared at him as if he were crazy, which in all likeliness, he was.

"Ok…" He backed away. "So, ah…Mr. Great deity…where the hell are we?"

"Not in hell. Time Compression. Do you ever listen when people talk?"

"No." Hyne sighed.

"And this is the man whom Quistis fell in love with…?" He sighed, walking away.

"No wait! Where is she?" Realization dawned on Seifer's face. "She told you she loved me? What else did she say?" Hyne turned around, an all too evil smile plastered on his face.

"Oh the things I could tell you about her. She's really not all that innocent, you know." Seifer's grin matched Hyne's.

"Really? Pray tell, Great deity." Both burst into synchronized evil laughter. Hyne cleared his throat.

"That's not the point. Take a look around you." He replied, getting serious. Seifer did. "Not much of a view is it?"

"No shit…" Seifer sighed.

"Well, you've got to find her and you've got to bring her back. I'm telling you, time compression is a dangerous place, one wrong move and you could completely destroy your past, yourself or…"

"Even worse, her." Seifer cut in. Hyne nodded.

"I'm warning you, Seifer, this is a place of past and future, if you don't be careful, everything you know could be screwed up. The world could end up not existing at all if you don't focus."

"I got it." The blond said, waving his hand and walking off into the whiteness of the entire place. Hyne sighed and shook his head.

"And to think, he's just like me when I was younger. Sad sad boy I was." He faded.

Seifer trudged through the blankness, wondering how the hell he was going to find Quistis in all this mess. It didn't seem as dangerous as Hyne said it was, he hadn't encountered anything yet. All he had to do was focus on Quistis, all he had to do was think of her. And quite suddenly, the image of her as a child entered his head.

_"Hehehe, Seifey! I found yooouuu!" _A small squeaky voice echoed throughout the area. Seifer shook his head, trying to get that hallucination out of his head. But the white began disappearing and grass sprouted from the ground. He looked above him as clear blue skies appeared. When he looked back down, he saw the stone steps of the orphanage. "I found you so stop cheating!!!" The child form of Quistis pouted, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at a nearby clump of grass. "I know you're in there!"

"Am not!" Seifer gasped as he heard his own voice. "No one in here but frogs and stuff." Matron laughed as she approached them. Seifer hid behind one of the walls and peered out at her.

"Matwon! Seifer's cheating!" Quistis complained. "He's in there but he won't come out and he knows I don't wanna go in there."

"No one's here!" The voice insisted. "Just bugs and frogs!" Matron walked over to the bush and scooped Seifer out.

"Bugs and frogs, eh, Seifer?" She teased. Seifer squirmed in her arms as he tried to get out of her grasp.

"Aww! I was going to win too."

"I FOUND HIM!" Quistis shouted to the others. Matron turned her head to watch as Irvine, Selphie, Zell and even Squall come running down the beach from the light house. But as she turned her head, she saw Seifer peering out. Her eyes widened and Seifer ducked back. _Shit! _He thought.

"What's wrong, Matwon?" Seifer asked, noticing her shocked gaze. She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Nothing, the light's playing tricks on my eyes." She set him down as the others neared.

"See?!" Irvine taunted poor Zell. "I told ya he would be too scared to hide in the lighthouse."

"I am not!" Seifer said, going to Irvine with a fist raised.

"Seifer!" Matron scolded. He looked sheepishly at her and lowered his fist.

"He said I was scared like that scaredy-cat…" He whispered, pointing to Zell.

"Hey!" Zell said, pushing Seifer.

"Calm down, boys." Cid chuckled.

"Ungle Cid!" Zell exclaimed with Seifer pinching his cheeks. They all abandoned whatever they were doing and ran over to the younger Cid, carrying grocery bags of all sizes.

"Whatcha get for us huh?" Selphie asked. "Yay! Sugar!" Cid panicked and grabbed the bag, remember both the incident with Selphie and sugar and the mess it created when she decided she was hyper enough to fly if she jumped off the cabinet.

"Eh, no." He said. "But I got you this." He pulled a less sugary lollypop from the bag and gave each of them one. The older Seifer watched with a small smile on his face as they licked contently and secretly, Seifer and Quistis swapped. _Nice image…but wrong image. Now I see what Hyne was talking about. If they see me then…_He tried another image of Quistis but this time, the image of the orphanage fire came to mind. Quite suddenly, he was there.

The entire place was burning down. Quistis was fast asleep in the chair.

"Quistis!" He hissed only to find himself choking from all the smoke. He looked around for his younger self who was bound to run in here like a hero and save her. _Where the fuck is he?_ He thought desperately. It took every ounce of self-control for him not to save her himself. If he did that, then that memory of his heroism would be gone.

"CID! QUISTIS IS STILL IN THERE!" Edea shrieked. He looked outside and saw Cid holding Edea back as she struggled to save her.

"You can't! You'd only get caught in the fire as well!"

"LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT, CID! I SWEAR I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! QUISTIS!" Edea yelled, half sobbing.

"I cannot let the love of my life charge in there and die as well! I'm going!" Cid said as he pulled her back and ran towards the burning orphanage.

"AAAAAHHH QUISTIS!" Seifer screamed as he charged in.

"CID!" Edea warned. Cid turned around just in time to see the young blond run past him. He dove for the young boy but missed.

"Seifer! Come back here!" He disappeared into the flames. The older Seifer watched as he searched and yelled, covering his mouth with his sleeve.

"Quisty! Quisty where are you?"

"Seify!" The ragged reply came from inside the kitchen. Young Seifer dove into the kitchen and saw her, huddled against the corner with her head in her hands.

"I'm here. Come on." He said, offering a hand.

"You've come to save me!" She flung her arms around him, making him blush.

"We've gotta get outta here…" He said, taking her by the hand and running. But just as they approached the door, the beam above creaked and gave way. Older Seifer couldn't stand by and watch anymore. While the two children screamed and closed their eyes in fear, he jumped high and sliced the beam in half with his Hyperion. As soon as he landed, he jumped back into safety and watched them look around, confused but still thankful that they made it. _Get outta here…_he thought as they made their way outside. _Now…now I have to save her again._ He thought hard about the older Quistis, the Quistis he knew.

"Why don't you talk to a wall then?" It was Quistis's voice again. Except this time, it was bitter, mocking. He looked around for her and saw her, heading towards the balcony. "He's such an idiot…I try to make good conversation with him and what does he do? He give me the cold shoulder. I _confide_ in him for Hyne's sake…and he just…" She placed her head in her hands and sighed. "What the hell am I thinking? He's just as big a jerk as that Seifer." Seifer winced.

"Look at me…crumbling at that hands of a stupid guy." She scoffed. "Is this what it's come down to, Trepe? You would let yourself sink as low as this? You've already gotten demoted, what else is there?"

"No…" He whispered and then realized it had been a bad idea to speak.

"Who, who's there?" Quistis whirled around and he all but jumped out of the way. _Closer…so much closer…I need to imagine her…just her…nothing else…_

-

-

-

"How is he, doc?" Zell asked as Dr. Kadowaki exited Irvine's room.

"Zell, to be honest…"

"He's going to be alright, isn't he? I just knew it!" Zell whispered happily.

"Zell, no, listen, I've done everything…"

"Oh no…did you have to amputate anything? Anything important. Or is he going to be in bed for a couple of months. Or is he paralyzed?" He asked.

"No…no…please, just sit down."

"O-ok doc." Zell sat down. Dr. Kadowaki rubbed her head, not knowing exactly how to put it.

"Irvine's been hurt really badly. To tell the truth, he's not going to make it. He's already stopped breathing and his heartbeat is…"

"That's a good one. That's a real good one…" Zell laughed. "Look, doc, I'll be back, ok, and he'd better be up and running or I'll sock him a good one." He punched the air just for show. But as soon as he was down the hall, the realization that Irvine was not going to be saying "ow" to his punches sunk in and he screamed. The entire Garden stopped and stared at him as he ran out of the garden as fast as he could, tears streaming down the sides of his cheek.

-

-

-

"Quistis!" The voice was horribly distorted when she first heard it. She tensed, not quite knowing exactly what it was that was calling her.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

"Quistis!" The voice was more formed this time and she gasped in realization.

"Seifer! Where are you?!"

"Right here…" His hand appeared through the barrier that kept her locked away. She grasped his hand and pulled. His entire body appeared and pressed against hers as he stumbled through. He pulled her close, closing his eyes.

"You're real." She whispered.

"You better believe it."

"I'm surprised…"

"That I made it this far?" He smiled.

"No, that you didn't screw up my memories." He held her tightly, laughing. "Hyne…you are real." He kissed her gently, for the first time real time. She pulled away and his concerned face searched hers for a meaning.

"Is something wrong?"

"I realized after the Omega Weapon attacked, that…that I loved you after all. I was just being a real bitch about it."

"I second that." He chuckled and she punched him in the arm. "Come on…let's go back…" Quistis nodded and took grasped his hand. Together, they walked back into the world.

-

-

-

-

EverShadow: Well now, the conflict is over…but Irvine is gone and what about Selphie? What will happen to them?

Tiger of Blackness: He's really gone…he…he's really really gone.

EverShadow: BWAHAHAHAHAHA! EverShadow signing off.


	24. What Ends Must Begin

EverShadow: And thus begins the new life for Seifer and Quistis…and in this chapyter, you find out more of the aftermath.

Tiger of Blackness: ……I'm back.

EverShadow: You smell like smoke…

Tiger of Blackness: Eh…I'm going to bed.

EverShadow: Ok…on with the show.

What Ends Must Begin

"Seifer?" Quistis whispered as they walked through the blankness.

"Hmm?" He answered, looking back at her.

"I thought I heard someone scream…back when you were still fighting. I thought I heard Irvine scream. Is he ok?" Seifer turned back, going silent. Quistis felt chills run up her spine and she paled. "What happened? Is everyone ok?"

"Quistis…"

"It's not ok, is it?" Seifer sighed and closed his eyes. Instantly, they were transported to a place near the sea. It was a beautiful beach and in the background, there were tall majestic trees. The sun was shining and everything was perfect.

"We can live here." He whispered. "We never have to return to the world. It's a dark place out there."

"What have you done?" Quistis whispered.

"I've created a place where there's no pain. Quistis, this is the perfect place. We can live together here. We can just be, without any anguish, no anger, no fear or anything." He said, taking both her hands and looking around. "This is where _we_ can be."

"How…"

"So long as we don't think about anything but this, we can just survive here. Can't you imagine it? Can't you? I'll build a house for us, I'll gather and hunt for food. We'll have little kids everywhere, just running around happily."

"It's an illusion." Quistis said, slipping out of his grasp. "If we had kids, they'd just exist in an illusion."

"It can be as real as you want it to be." Hyne said, appearing. Their heads snapped to the side. "That's what Time Compression is. It can be as real as you want it to be. If you really want this, then it won't be an illusion, it'll be your reality. You're kids wouldn't know, in fact, over time, you wouldn't remember, this is what would be your world."

"See?" Seifer asked, jumping up and down giddily. "We can live together without anyone always saying stuff about us!"

"Seifer…what happened to everyone?" The beach vanished, the trees were gone. They were once again back in Time Compression. Seifer sighed.

"Irvine…he's gone. I don't know if Selphie survived…it just happened. Rinoa…she's hurt badly. I don't know what happened to the Balamb units that were dispatched. Probably lost a lot of them." Quistis put her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

"No…"

"I don't know what happened either. One minute, cowboy was shooting wildly, the next minute…the Omega Weapon had stomped on him…" Hyne looked on grimly. Quistis's eyes watered.

"No…Selphie…Irvine…Rinoa…"

"That's why I'm asking for you to live in my reality, our reality. Please…"

"Seifer."

"We can escape."

"Seifer…"

"We would never have to cry again. We'd never lose each other again."

"Seifer no…no…it would be wrong. We'd be abandoning them. Even if…even if I have to go back and see so many people die…" Seifer took her hands and kissed them gently. "I want to go back."

"Ok." He whispered.

-

-

SeeD had lost numerous irreplaceable units in what would be considered the Omega War. Cid had dispatched several SeeD around the world to look for the Ultimate Weapon, which was still on the loose. But when Seifer carried Quistis Trepe back from the seemingly dead, everyone nearly fainted. Zell hugged the man, sobbing, saying how sorry he was for being so mean. That was, until Seifer kicked him.

"Let me get her back home first before you start blubbering!" He snapped though his eyes looked upon Quistis softly._ I found you…_he thought, feeling as though he himself could faint at any moment. It had been one hellava trip…and it wasn't over. She needed rest but at least she was safe.

-

"Where's Irvine?" It was the first thing Selphie whispered when she awoke. "Dr. Kadowaki?! Where's Irvine?!!" She grabbed at the doctor's coat.

"Selphie…there's something you need to see…" The girl stood up shakily, tears already springing to her eyes. She knew something was wrong. Her heart knew it and she was afraid.

"He…he'll be ok…right?" Selphie stared at the body.

"Selphie…he stopped breathing three hours ago…we put him on a respirator but he just couldn't…"

"No, you don't know what you're saying, doc…you…you don't know Irvine. He'll come around the oaf. He's too strong…" She whispered from the wheelchair. "He's my man, he…he…Irvy baby…come on." She gave a strangled sob before bursting into tears. "IRVINE!! NOO!! IRVINE…please…" Dr. Kadowaki walked out.

"How is she?" Zell asked.

"It's going to be hard coping…"

"Are you sure he's…well…gone?"

"Yes. Science doesn't lie. It would take a miracle to bring him back…a miracle neither science nor magic can produce." Kadowaki replied. Zell stuck his hands in his pockets and sniffed. "How are your wounds?"

"They're ok. Seifer's roughed me up worse so I'll be ok. How are the others?"

"Quistis is awake but Rinoa's still in her coma. About a dozen SeeD are dead, a few dozen more are injured, some are on the brink of death…Seifer's watching over Quistis. You can visit him but Squall I would leave alone."

"Ok." Zell replied, walking over to the door. He opened it.

"Zell?" Quistis whispered from the bed. Seifer sat next to her, wrapped up in bandages and holding her hand.

"Hey…"

"Hey, chicken wuss."

"Seifer…" Quistis sighed. He shot her an apologetic look.

"Nah, it's ok. I've gotten used to it. Besides, he brought you back, he can call me whatever he wants." Seifer bit his tongue to stop from making any more comments or name-callings.

"How's Selphie?" She asked.

"Not good. She just woke up…Dr. Kadowaki showed her Irvine." Zell replied, looking at the ground. "It's not fair, you know? I want everything to be ok. I want everyone to be happy. I mean, you're alive but Irvine's dead and so are a lot of other SeeD. They didn't deserve it." Quistis sighed and Seifer snapped his head around.

"I know what you're thinking and Hyne help me if you say that you weren't worth it."

"I just wish we could've done it without the sacrifice. Even so…was I really that worth it? I'm just one person after all."

"Well, Miss Trepe," Zell said sheepishly. "We would've taken on the world for you." Quistis smiled at him.

"Besides, we would've needed to take down the Omega Weapon anyway." Seifer said. "That thing was too dangerous. It just so happened that the most beautiful, if a little domineering woman was trapped within it." She gave him a small smile and kissed his hand. Zell grimaced but let it go.

"Listen, Miss Trepe…"

"Quistis. Or Quisty, just like old times." She said.

"Quisty, I'm going to go and check up on some of the other SeeD, ok? You get better, you hear?" He stuck his hands in his pockets and stumbled outside. Quistis collapsed into a fit of tears, no longer able to keep her cool demeanor.

"Of all people…" she sobbed. "Why did Irvine have to die?" Seifer held her close and she found comfort in his strength.

"We can't help it now…" He whispered. She pulled away, shocked at his words. "It's true. We can't help it. What's left now is just Selphie. That's who we need to take care of."

"No, I refuse to believe that there's nothing we can do." Quistis replied.

"He's dead, Quistis…"

"So was I. People thought I was dead too."

"That's because the Omega Weapon took you. Irvine died, I saw him physically die!" Quistis shook her head.

"I just don't want to come back and start grieving immediately. It hurts me so much." She buried her head into Seifer's chest again. Seifer clenched his fists and stood up, looking angrily around.

"Hyne! I know you can hear me! Show yourself!" He shouted. Nothing happened. "Hyne! I swear that if you don't show yourself I'll make you regret it!" The door opened and Dr. Kadowaki stepped in.

"Quistis, there's a man here to see you. His name is…"

"Synk." Hyne walked in the room in his human form and smiled. Seifer and Quistis watched him strode over to her bedside.

"Ok, well, I'll leave you then." Dr. Kadowaki exited.

"Well, you're looking a lot better than when I last saw you." Synk laughed. Seifer growled low in his throat.

"Fix this. Fix this entire mess!" He ordered.

"How? I may be powerful but I'm certainly no life giver. I can't give him another life." He replied sternly.

"Yes you can! I don't care what it takes, this entire mess is…"

"Even if we could, what do you want to do about the other SeeD then? Do you value one person over another?" Synk demanded. "You tell me to save this man, what about the others? I keep telling you, I can't give him another life." He looked Quistis in the eye seriously.

"Wait, do you mean that…"

"What do you think I mean?" Synk asked.

"What do you think he thinks you think he means?!" Seifer demanded. Quistis nearly leapt up.

"We have to stop Kadowaki! Irvine's still alive!"

-

-

-

-

Tiger of Blackness: What? He's alive?

EverShadow: You'll see….

Tiger of Blackness: …this sucks.

EverShadow: You'll see. EverShadow signing off.


	25. A Time to Laugh, A Time to Cry

EverShadow: Well, a very nice response from all of you I guess.

Tiger of Blackness: …huddles in corner.

EverShadow? Whatcha got there?

Tiger of Blackness: Nothing…

EverShadow: Something's in your hands…is that…a broken heart?

Tiger of Blackness: Shad up. On with the show!

EverShadow: NO WAIT! I'M SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT!

A Time to Cry, A Time to Smile

"Hurry!" Quistis urged Seifer as he carried her out of the room. Dr. Kadowaki was standing at the hall watching as the SeeD wheeled Irvine away.

"Dr. Kadowaki!" She shouted. The doctor turned around and gasped.

"You are not supposed to be out of bed!"

"Spare me!" Quistis snapped. "Where's Irvine!"

"They just took him away…but honestly, what are you…" Before she could finish, the two of them sped past her. Quistis looked on urgently, trying to spot the SeeD as they neared the door.

"Can you walk?" Seifer asked. Without thinking, she jumped out of his arms and he ran on ahead. "YO! BUZZHEADS!" The SeeD looked towards his direction, only to be promptly tackled to the ground.

"H-Hey!" The remaining one contemplated whether or not to attack. Suddenly, Zell soared out of nowhere, grabbing on and taking the other one down too.

"WOOHOO!" He whooped. Quistis limped towards them as fast as she could and unzipped the body bag.

"You're not supposed to…" The SeeD being pinned down by Seifer began but one look from Seifer shut him up. Quistis placed her head to his chest.

"I can't hear anything."

"Of course!" The other SeeD snapped. "He's dead!" Zell socked him just for good measure.

"Synk!" Seifer yelled. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" The old man approached them with a smile on his face.

"Well, you two did a nice job of stopping him from being cremated. But I can't just tell you how to revive him. You think about it."

"Uh…Ultra-mega Full life?" Seifer suggested. Zell stared at the three of them weirdly.

"It's not that I don't like tackling my fellow SeeD for no apparent reason but what exactly is going on?"

"Irvine's still alive." Zell nodded, and then the full implications hit. The poor martial artist promptly fainted. Synk looked on with a stunned expression before clearing his throat.

"Well, perhaps it's better." He sighed. Seifer couldn't hold the struggling SeeD any longer and knocked him out with one good punch to the head.

"Look, how do we revive him?" He asked, standing up.

"I dunno, oh Sorceress's knight. Maybe first you need to consider exactly _who_ you are." Synk suggested. "I am but a lowly spirit, devoid of most of my power. After all, I had to pass some of it to someone." Quistis suddenly lost all feeling in her legs and sat down on the ground.

"You know, if I had my power, I'd gladly revive him…" Synk went on. "I mean, it's not that hard. You simply snatch his soul from the brink of death. Though one wonders how much time is left…"

"Wait…wait…" Quistis said, shaking her head. "You passed your powers on to…" She trailed off looking at Seifer.

"What? What are you looking at me for?"

"Well, I was a sorcerer too once. Then I had to forsake some of it. It happens when you get old. But I'm still Hyne, the great deity. I just lost my power to bring back trapped souls, much like Quistis was back then." Seifer still couldn't understand what Quistis was floored about.

"Hey…you're staring at me like I'm some sort of freak…" He said nervously.

"Well, maybe you are." Synk said. Quistis stood up and beckoned her to come close. He did it with a cautious and puzzled expression. She leaned up and whispered in his ear.

"You've got Hyne's powers." Seifer blinked before fainting right next to Zell. "Aw…no…no!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.

"Let me sleep a little longer." He mumbled. With a sharp jerk, Quistis pulled him upright, which was no easy task considering his bulk and her current weakness. But desperation gives strength when necessary and Quistis was able to bring Seifer back. He stumbled at first, looking around. When he saw Quistis, he smiled but when he saw Synk, he frowned.

"Not a dream, eh?" He sighed. "So…what does this mean? I have your powers?"

"Well, I don't want to rush you but I can feel him slipping as we speak." Synk shrugged. Seifer cursed and walked over to the body, wondering what he was supposed to do. He placed his hand over Irvine and closed his eyes, expecting something to happen. Nothing did.

"Come on!" He hissed through gritted teeth.

"Tick tock tick tock…" Synk smiled as though it were a joke.

"Shut up! What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Well, it's customary to touch the body perhaps?" The deity suggested. Seifer took a deep breath and put his hand on Irvine's chest. He concentrated hard on life and everything that life represented. It was a hard task since Quistis often intruded into his thoughts and Quistis in the shower…

"EARGH!" He shouted. The same golden light that had surrounded him before surrounded him again and slowly seeped into Irvine. Synk looked very impressed. A moment passed before Irvine coughed and then seized up. Quistis jumped in shock and grabbed the cart, running it back over to the infirmary. Seifer dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Well done." Hyne complimented.

"You…need…to…explain…" He commanded. Synk lifted Seifer up and together, they walked towards the training center.

"You see, I must thank you. You've returned the power back to me."

"What?"  
"Sorcerer powers are much more different than those of the female. They are…unpredictable. So one day I woke up and found my one power to be missing. I searched high and low for it until I found that it resided in you, probably from all that contact with Ultimecia and Edea and Adel, you were just more susceptible to it. So you gained a power. But you see, when you used it often, it just kinda jumped back into me."

"Jumped? And what about Irvine…what about the rest of the SeeD!"

"Ah…why Irvine did not die? Well. That goes back to Time Compression. You see, what you were able to do was bring back Irvine's life from the depths of Time Compression. In other words, you were basically able to steal it from another life that Irvine possessed. See, he and the others were exposed to Time Compression when the entered the future to defeat Ultimecia. That opened up the door to other world and other lives. You simply took one from a place where it was unneeded." He laughed. "Actually, I didn't think it would work." Seifer closed his eyes and tried to take all the information in as best as he could.

"So…you're saying that if he hadn't been exposed to Time Compression…he wouldn't be here?"

"Then again…neither would Quistis…nor the Omega Weapon. One wonders if all this mess would have started if the six of them hadn't gone there in the first place." Synk sat down and opened his hand. As if on cue, a bird landed in his open palm and he smiled. "Life is a good thing." He threw the bird back in the air and stood up, nodding to Seifer. "It's about time for me to go. I have drinks and ladies calling my name." Seifer all but drooled.

"Take me with you…" he begged.

"What? And leave me behind." The two men winced at once. Seifer turned around slowly, laughing nervously as he saw the deadly look on Quistis's face.

"H-hey…back so…soon?" He whimpered.

"I know all about _his_ antics." She noted, pointing to Synk. "You are not going to pick up on them. You are going to be with me when Selphie wakes up." She grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away from Synk.

"EEEYOW! QUISTY!" He screeched. Quistis paid him no mind.

"You are a bad influence. It'd be best if you leave soon. I don't want any questions or any further corruption."

"Come on, as if he isn't corrupted enough." Synk whined. "You always blame it on me!"

"Well, you are the more experienced. Who knows how many women you've been with?" Quistis snapped.

"Uh…well…that…I lost count around a thousand…" He shrugged. Seifer looked at him with longing.

"You can't take me with you why?" He whimpered. Quistis tugged on his ear a little harder.

"Well, in that case then, I suppose I'm not good enough." She let go and began walking back to the infirmary. Seifer rubbed his ear and sighed.

"She's a good woman." Synk noted, nodding in her direction as both men watched her. Seifer sighed and smiled.

"Yeah, she really is. I really can't imagine anyone else taking her place. Besides, I risked my life to get her, not going to let that go to waste." He replied.

"You take good care of her you hear? She's strong but she still needs someone from time to time to support her emotionally." Synk watched Quistis cast an disapproving glance at the two of them just as she was about to disappear down the hall. "She reminds me of Illia."

"Your wife?" Seifer asked. Synk nodded sadly.

"Where she died, I lived on. And every day I want to join her. But it is my duty to maintain balance between times."

"I'd better go." The blond swordsman said. "Good luck to you."

"As to you." Synk smiled and watched Seifer chase after Quistis. "The two of you are stronger than Illia and I were. Where Illia died, Quistis will live." He whispered before fading from view.

* * *

EverShadow: Well, the end nears. And it saddens me increasingly to say that. sob

Tiger of Blackness: Well, the end nears. And it gladdens me increasingly to say that cheers

EverShadow: …Stop mimicking me!

Tiger of Blackness: I didn't though.

EverShadow: Yuh huh.

Tiger of Blackness: You're just angry because it's ending. Well…TOO BAD! BWAHAHAHA VICTORY IS MINE!

EverShadow: Inches away EverShadow signing off…


	26. Everything Boils Down to Love

EverShadow: Wow. How long has it been?

Tiger of Blackness: …sorry. I forgot to open your cage after I left.

EverShadow: There's so much light…so much…light.

Tiger of Blackness: So you went a couple of days without food or water. Big deal. Write now.

EverShadow: On with the show…freedom…

Everything Boils Down to Love

Feet shuffled along with the music of the orchestra. Waltz for the Moon, it was called. The orchestra played it every graduation ball. Squall looked across the floor, a glass of wine in his hand. So many young candidates and so much fighting in the world, it was horrible. Some days he just wanted to stretch out and relax and forget that there was anything wrong with the world. The memory of the Omega War still burned its way into his memory many nights before and tonight was no different. So many casualties…

"Squall?" Rinoa asked, walking up to him. He shook his head and turned to her.

"Huh? What?" He replied.

"You're zoning out." She commented, taking his hand. Squall blushed, still slightly unused to such contact, especially after who knows how many years of being the "lone wolf." She smiled.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" She whispered. "So many new SeeD. Any one of them can make a difference and for the better too." He smiled. Ever the optimist, she was. Then again, any one of them could also spell destruction. Best not to think about that.

"IRVINE YOU LITTLE…!" Suddenly, Irvine rushed by them, Selphie hot on his heals. Squall looked over at the spot where the cowboy had previously been. Of course. There stood a group of slightly flustered girls, one of them obviously blushing more than usual. "YOU PERVERT! YOU UNLOYAL LITTLE!"

"That tickles." Quistis whispered, her eyes closed. Seifer smirked and ran his fingers up her side again. "Seifer stop!" She giggled. Seifer sighed, almost dreamily.

"They're playing loud enough for us to hear." He noted, nodding towards the Garden. The two of them sat on the beach. Of course, Seifer didn't want to tell Quistis that he didn't like the beach at all. But it was true, sand got into places he'd rather not mention. Of course, one could easily forget when not wearing anything…

Seifer coughed uncomfortably. Quistis turned her head to regard him, tucked away safely in his arms.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." He replied. Something uncomfortable was poking in his pants and he began sweating.

"You're acting strange." She moved away from him. "Come on, please tell me you're not still nervous around me."

"Why would I be? I've been around hundreds of beautiful girls before." He smirked. Quistis lightly slapped his arms. But he wasn't exactly ready for what was next. What he planned to do that night. And he wasn't sure Quistis was either. But this…this goddess was someone he wanted to have all to himself and share with no one. And there was only one way of doing that.

"Quistis…I love you." It was three times harder to say it to her than any normal girl. She blushed, the words taking its effect. The thing in his pants was really annoying him, poking him in an uncomfortable position. So he mustered up all his courage and decided to get it over with. In that sitting position, he took out a small box. (A/N: Hentais, what did you think it was?)

"Will you marry me?" Quistis fell back in shock, the water coming up to her fingertips. She fumbled for words and a few seconds later, Seifer, nervous to death, added, "Take the ring or not…it's your choice…" She settled down, composing herself. In all her years of SeeD training, she had never come across how to react in this situation. No chapter 8 paragraph 12: "SeeD will remain composed and will accept or decline the ring whether the person suits them or not" and some rules stating what to do or something. This was more difficult than any mission she'd ever undertaken. This meant a life time commitment (minus divorce) possible kids, how would it affect her job, how would the others react? By killing Seifer?

"Yes!" She replied, banishing all thoughts. Seifer felt like he could breathe again. The two of them hugged and Seifer felt tears of his own coming to his eyes.

"I won't lose you ever again." He promised. They sat there, holding each other tightly, trying not to cry. It was a long time before either of them spoke.

"When should we tell the others?" Quistis asked. Seifer chuckled nervously.

"I don't know. They may have gotten used to us but this…they might just decapitate me and prance around with my head on a stick."

"Just wait until we have kids." Quistis laughed. Suddenly, the full impact of what Seifer had just done hit him and he fell silent. He wasn't regretting what he had done, the two of them fit each other, complimented each other to the fullest that they possibly could. They had been through so much pain, so much fighting that love almost seemed out of the question until they met each other. She was his sorceress and he, her knight. It just worked that way.

"Seifer?" Quistis whispered. "You ok?"

"Yeah, better than ok." He replied, kissing her forehead. Quistis blinked, trying to figure out what was going through her fiancé's head. That felt so good, fiancé…she could get used to say that. She said it a few dozen more times in her head.

"You look content." Seifer noted. She snuggled close, trying to avoid crying. Everything she had ever wanted was coming true. She had someone she loved, she was marrying him, she had a good job, her friends were safe. Seifer kissed the top of her head and then smiled like his old self, brash and sarcastic.

"So, you really want kids?"

* * *

"OH MY HYNE. YOU'RE WHAAAAAATTT!" Selphie's scream reverberated through the entire Garden. Seifer rubbed his ears, wincing.

"And you can yell any louder how?" He said irritably. Quistis laughed nervously.

"You're ok with this, right?" She asked. Selphie's mouth was wide open for a moment before jump tackling her friend.

"YOU'VE GOT TO LET ME DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR WEDDING! PLANNING! DECORATING! ANYTHING!" She squealed with joy. Squall stepped out of the elevator, his eyes darkened.

"What, in the name of Hyne, is so exciting that you wake everyone up with your scream?" He demanded.

"SEIFER AND QUISTIS ARE GETTING MARRIED!" Squall's look of anger suddenly changed to one of shock.

"What? Wait, what? Married? As in, rings? Wedding?" He stammered.

"That's right, pubes, I'm stealing your precious Instructor away." Seifer smirked holding Quistis possessively. She stomped on his foot.

"You don't own me, Seifer. Remember that." She hissed, glaring at him coldly.

"Yes ma'am."

"Seifer's whipped!" Zell chuckled poking the other blonde in the back.

"Literally." Irvine added with a perverted smile. Seifer and Quistis both blushed while Selphie went over and kicked him in the shin.

"What, so everyone's up at this hour?" Quistis sighed. Irvine, while hopping around on one foot cursing in all manner of cowboy, stopped to nod.

"Yep, we all heard the racket and came to see what was up."

"All except Rinoa. She sleeps like the dead." Squall noted. Suddenly, at the mention of Rinoa, Seifer's expression turned to one of cruel intent. He took his hands off Quistis and threw his arm around Squall. Everyone around grew afraid of him.

"Say…Pubes…you do remember that happy little promise you made way back when I saved your girlfriend's life, right? HMMM?" Squall paled and went limp. _Oh Hyne help me_, he thought.

* * *

EverShadow: Well! That's that! Wedding's next chapyter, and next chapyter's my last too. Sniff. I'll miss you guys.

Tiger of Blackness: Knowing Ever, though, she'll be back in no time.

EverShadow: That's true.

Tiger of Blackness: May Hyne have mercy on us all when that time comes.

EverShadow: MEW! EverShadow signing off.


	27. It Was Worth It All

EverShadow: Talk about last minute update! It's the 31st people!

Tiger of Blackness: Cutting it close, eh?

EverShadow: Hehehehe…sorry...midterms and such. But the important thing is that I got it, right?

Tiger of Blackness: Why do I feel like you're going to make it a bs chapyter?

EverShadow: Hey! Read first, then judge!

Tiger of Blackness: That's not how I do things.

EverShadow: …on with the show.

It Was Worth It All

Streamers and confetti flew through the air like snow the minute the reception began. Seifer kissed Quistis, both of them covered in pieces of white, blue and pink paper. Everyone around them cheered and clapped. Rinoa was busy plucking tissues from a nearby box and Selphie was elated beyond all reason that the reception looked wonderful and she was convinced it was due to her planning. In the corner, several Trepies were crying their eyes out, saddened immensely by the fact that their beloved Instructor had gotten married to someone else, "riff raff" even! The Quad was filled with people congratulating the just married couple who had gone to Balamb to get married, and then returned to the Garden for the reception.

"We're so happy!" Selphie squealed.

"Thank you, Selphie, for planning this. Everything looks wonderful. Zell came up behind Seifer and clapped him on the shoulder, his mouth full of cake.

"Gud fer you, Seifer." He mumbled, sending crumbs flying onto the groom's tuxedo. Seifer brushed them off, along with Zell's hand.

"Thanks, Chicken-Wuss." He smirked before following his wife to their table.

"HEY!" Zell cried after them, and then pouted. Seifer kissed his wife on the cheek.

"I love you." He whispered. "Everyone!" He caught everyone's attention. "I have a surprise for all of you! It's our entertainment for the night, besides the wonderful band." He lifted a bell in the air and rung it. A moment passed and everyone looked around. Seifer rang the bell again and everyone heard squeaky footsteps nearing. When they saw what exactly was going on, they all laughed, Rinoa the hardest.

"Oh my!" Quistis exclaimed. Squall walked down the steps in giant clown shoes, dressed in a yellow and red polka dotted clown suit with a red nose and painted face. Irving swung his camera to capture the once in a lifetime event. Squall did not look happy at all. Rinoa walked over.

"What is going on!" She asked between giggles.

"I had to keep a promise." He muttered, crossing his arms. Seifer wasn't going to let him off that easily. He walked up to Squall and clapped him on the shoulders.

"Good man!" He laughed. "Now, show us what you can do."

"I refuse." Squall persisted.

"Oh really? Is that anyway to treat your girlfriend's savoir?" Squall muttered a stream of curses under his breath and then walked up to the nearest piece of cake. He hesitated a moment before plunging his face into it. The crowd roared in laughter. Even Edea gave in and chuckled a little. Cid smiled and shook his head, glass of champagne in hand. Squall then proceeded to remove several red balls out of his pockets and began juggling, cream still all over his face. Of course, Squall turned out to be a horrible juggler and dropped the balls on several occasions. After he was done that, he proceeded to make balloon animals, something he had learned in the past day, for the children of Balamb Garden. The kids eagerly received them and ran off to play with them. Squall sighed and wiped his face off with a napkin. He could feel his reputation and his masculinity slipping down the drain as time wore on.

"You've suffered enough." Quistis said, dismissing him. "Go on and get properly dressed." Seifer pouted and put an arm around her waist.

"Aww, I was having fun too. We didn't even get to the unicycle." Squall on the other hand was all to glad to comply with Quistis's wish and sauntered off, the squeaking of his shoes echoing throughout the entire Garden. Rinoa walked up to the two.

"I can't thank you enough. Maybe this'll knock down a few more of his barriers."

"Or put a few more up. I'm never letting him live this down." Irvine said, patting his camera. Seifer nodded.

"You better send me some copies." He said.

"You got it!" Irvine, having spotted some cute girls to film, sauntered off. When Squall returned, Cid clinked a fork against his glass.

"Attention, attention everyone." Everyone around them went silent again. "I'd like to make a toast to the happy new couple. I'd like to wish them happiness and longevity, especially in their love. I admit, Seifer, I had my doubts about you. You were always so fiery, so unpredictable. But I suppose you turned out alright after all. Good luck to the two of you, Mr. and Mrs. Almasy." Everyone clapped at the end of his speech and Edea touched his arm affectionately. Selphie was the next to propose a toast.

"I never thought I'd see the day you'd get married, Quistis!" Everyone laughed and Quistis shot her a mock glare, even with a smile on her face. "But you were the first one of us to get married. I hope that you two are happy for the remainder of your lives and let them be long lives to boot! And if he ever hurts you…you let me know and I'll be all over his ass like…" Irvine grabbed Selphie's arm before she degenerated into a Seifer bashing speech.

"That's enough now." He said, taking the champagne away from her. Selphie pouted. Seifer stood up.

"I'd also like to make a toast…to my lovely and wonderful wife. I know I haven't been the best student, or the best person." He looked her in the eyes and said earnestly, "I know I've made some bad decisions, some that have affected everyone in here. And I've been an arrogant bastard most of the time. But my feelings have never changed for you, not since those days in the orphanage, when we came here…even when we fought. I've got my regrets, and who doesn't have regrets? But I never regret that I ended up finding you again and saving you, and loving you. If I had to go through it all again just to save you, I'd do it a thousand times just to see your eyes, your face, your smile and just to hold you again." There was a collective "awww" that went through the room and Quistis, almost in tears, reached up and kissed Seifer deeply. More clapping followed. The two of them embraced.

-

-

The reception ended around early in the morning, when everyone was tired and wanted to go get some sleep. Only Seifer and Quistis remained, sitting at the edge of the Quad waiting for the sunrise. Quistis leaned gently against Seifer's chest, in his embrace. Seifer had his cheek to hers and the two could never have been happier.

"You look amazing in that dress, do you know that?" He whispered. Quistis giggled.

"I can't believe you got Squall to do that." She said. Seifer smirked.

"That'll be a few years worth of teasing at least." He replied. "I can't believe messenger girl threw up all over the cowboy."

"Ew, yeah, that was probably the worst part. Well, he was nice enough to carry her back to her dorm at least." The two sat in silence until Seifer broke it.

"So…what about children? You know I'm just dying to have a couple of little Seifers running around." Quistis blanched at the thought.

"Oh no…that would be terror on the entire Garden. I'd much rather have little Quistis's."

"Wonderful…little stuck up know it alls…" Seifer teased. Quistis smacked his leg.

"Hush you." She said. Seifer hugged her closer. He didn't care what their kids turned out like. With both of their parenting…it would turn out ok. He was sure of it. But for now, he couldn't be any happier. He thought back to how they first met, tentatively at the orphanage. He thought about how they grew up as children together and how they parted ways and came back together. He remembered the feeling of loss when the Omega Weapon took her and he was glad to have her there.

"We ought to thank Hyne." He said. "He brought me to you when I thought I had lost you." Quistis nodded and lifted her glass which was resting nearby. Seifer did the same.

"To Hyne." They toasted in chorus. Behind them, Synk took a glass from the table, watching the two bask in the early morning light and sipped a bit of champagne. He lifted his glass as well.

"To the both of you, for reminding me that love comes in many different forms and persists through time and space." He whispered and just before they turned around, he vanished.

"Did you hear something?" Quistis asked.

"Maybe…" Seifer smiled. "Yeah…but he's not quite social of a person." The two glanced knowingly at each other and turned back just as the sun broke across the horizon, basking their faces in the warm light of their new morning.

-

-

Fin

-

-

EverShadow: Wow…this…this fanfic has really been a pleasure to write. It's taken me quite a while to finish this but I'm glad I did in the end. I'm taking a different direction with my favorite character, Quistis, in my more recent fanfic (though it's not recent at all) "King's Heart." Be warned, it's nowhere near Quifer, it's rather a QuiXu, so if you're interested in that…check it out. EverShadow signing off for the last time.


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